Age of the War Horse'
by WFROSE
Summary: Apocolypse made Ranma far more dangerous than anyone could ever realize. By what method could the X-Men hope to counter? (Continuation, not fusion) [Complete]
1. Prologue

Ranma brought his hand to his side, testing it tenderly for any sign of blood. This was a challenge that may have been far out of his league, as much as he would never admit it. His opponent stood at the other end of the decimated forest, standing smugly with his arms folded; watching the pigtailed boy almost like a scientist observing a specimen. The only thing that spoiled that expression was the slight hint of satisfaction.  
  
"You are indeed the one I have been looking for, young one," The demon praised in a voice that was as big as the earth itself, and as empty and broad as the vastness of space, "Few have ever troubled me to such... exertions."  
  
Ranma barely had any breath, and chose to save it for defeating his opponent. Ranma's mind raced through potential stratagies to utilize against his opponent, considering very desperate measures. His father's Senken techniques had proven ineffective, as his opponent regenerated from the cuts is vacuum blades caused, and he seemed to know where Ranma was at all times, regardless how deep in the Umisenken he was. The Amaguriken was worthless, as he pounded and pounded on the demon's hide, feeling bone break, flesh pulp and tear, only to reheal with the creature's infinite patience.   
  
He had gone well beyond he had ever before; not because Akane was in danger, she was safe in Nerima, as far as he knew. It was just that there was something about the creature before him that screamed of immense evil; Ranma knew the fates were on the scales with this battle, and things were slowly tilting towards dire.  
  
"MOUKU TAKABISHA REVISED;" Ranma shouted, running at the blue demon, who still had his arms folded, "ANGRY TIGER'S POUNCE!" Ranma cupped his hands to his side, and then leapt into the air. His Mouku Takabisha formed in his hands, largest he had ever made it, and trusting that the principles of the Shishi Hakoudan worked the same as his own attack, pulled it around his body. As he was descending at immense velocity, Ranma let out a war cry, bringing his right fist back for the strike.  
  
The blue demon smiled, as he dropped his arms out of folding. His own voice began to rumble, rumble so fiercely that the mountains nearby began to shudder. He brought his own massive fist back, and right as the pigtailed martial artist was upon him, thrust it up and forward, as large as the glow around Ranma's body was.  
  
As the two attacks connected, a ring of energy spread out perpendicularly from the point of impact, slicing deep into the earth from its force. Immidiately, Ranma felt himself overwhelmed, but would not allow himself to be felled back, too much more than just his own fate was riding on this. Ranma began to focus, considering his battle with Herb.  
  
The demon became even more impressed than before, truly this human was a jewel far brighter than even he had found in mutantkind. The boy was actually gathering the ambient energy their battle was giving off, and using it to enforce his own attack. The demon should have been angered at the boy's audacity, but decided that two could play at the same game.  
  
Ranma felt the pressure intensify, causing him to worry a great deal. Whoever failed first, would die. Hell, the one who was the victor would probably die, still. The energy buildup between them was getting out of control. Ranma would have to wonder how much of the mid-western Japanese forestland had their fight destroyed.  
  
"My Horse of Chaos," the demon stated with a calmness that belayed the strain he was putting back against Ranma, "You have already exeeded my wildest expectations of your ability, and it grows as this battle progresses. You shall most assuradly make a welcome addition to my Horsemen."  
  
Even with the roaring winds around them, and the sounds of destruction ensuing, as the ground under his opponent buckled and compacted and began to become ripped and broken to dust, Ranma heard him. The demon, was already sure it had won, before Ranma had even accepted the challenge. That enraged Ranma to no end. What increased that raged even moreso was the fact that this creature just wanted him all along! The challenge was a ploy to get him there, away from anyone who could interfere with the fight. Ranma walked right into a trap set directly for his ego and pride. His opponent knew him well.  
  
"YOU TRICKED ME!" Ranma shouted through the turbulance, his energy flaring with his anger. The demon's smile grew even wider.  
  
"Why yes, yes I did."  
  
Ranma's voice became a gutteral growl. No matter what, he would NOT let himself fall prisoner to this damn demon. Ranma's determination combined with his sudden subjection to giving his life in order to do away with the evil thing benieth him. The effect was noted as his red aura began to grow tinges of green in it. The sickly green began to swarm with the red, as if it were oils in a puddle of water, before suddenly flashing into one single blinding flash of white.  
  
Ranma's scream of determination was lost, just as the demon's joyous excaimations were in the raging storm that could be seen all the way to China.  
  
"MAGNIFICENT! HA HA HA HA HAAAA, TRULY MAGNIFICENT!!!" the demon roared, more to himself, since his opponent couldn't hear him. The battle climaxed, as an explosion akin to a nuclear bomb spread from ground zero, where the two fighters were...  
__________________________  
  
In Nerima, Cologne, Genma, Soun, Happosai, Akane, Shampoo, Ryoga, Mousse, Ukyo, Konatsu, Tatewake, Kodachi, Nabiki, Tofu, and Kasumi all *felt* the wave of energy, before the blinding white light washed over them. Once it was gone, most were left in wonder of what it had been, exept for a few. Those few feared for Ranma's life.  
.__________________________  
  
Herb shuddered at the feeling of great power to the east. Even to him, more power than he could ever imagine had just ignited in seemingly one, cataclysmic expulsion. Truly a power that caused the Dragon Prince awe was well to be reckoned with.  
  
More than a day's travel away, on a mountain top, a babe with wings dusted in the color of flame and a fiery jewel dawning his forehead, wailed.  
__________________________  
  
In the Northern United States, in a school for those gifted with abilities far beyond their normal kin, a redhead, a bald professor, and a roughened Canadian all paused, feeling a massive surge of energy on both the psychic and physical planes from on nearly the other side of the world.  
  
"What... was that?" The red-headed woman whispered with both fear and awe in her voice.  
  
"What was what?" A lusious looking woman with a comforting Southern accent and a white streak in her hair enquired, asking the question that was also on Remy LeBeu and Storm's mind, as she approached the the redhead and her four visitors.  
  
"A... great... something dangerous," the professor mumbled out, trying to identify himself what could have caused such a devistating power release.  
  
A man with ruby tinted shade almost stumbled from the boat house he shared with his wife on the school property. All present noticed the pale expression on his face. "A nuclear bomb.. larger than anything ever seen yet, just went off in Japan!" He said in almost a whisper  
  
The Canadian's eyes narrowed, as he looked eastwards, "That was no bomb..."  
__________________________  
The massive dust cloud caused by the battle began to settle almost an hour later. Japanese officials warned people not to approach the area for fear of nuclear contamination, as they cited what had to be the largest nuclear bomb in world history. Even those encased in radiation suits would be weary to tread to the center of the blast. Even if their reason for concern was wrong, it was a very valid one.  
  
From the thinning dust and debris of pulverized earth and incinerated foliage, stepped the demon with an unconcious, nearly dead body cradled in his arms.  
  
"Ranma Saotome," the evil being began, as if his captive could hear him, "This marks the beginning of your destiny, one that will forever mark the Earth. You have proven yourself among the fittest, possibly moreso than the idealistic mutant fools I have encountered. Today, you have proven yourself worthy to be War, a Horseman of Apocolypse!"  
  
Ranma/ X-Men  
Age of the War Horse 


	2. part 1

Ranma/ X-Men  
Age of the War Horse  
Part 1  
  
  
  
"Here, I'm afraid this is but all I can do. It's guardian already knows of this portion to be missing." The woman with wearing a hooded robe that covered a mane that seemed more like a bird's plumage than hair.  
  
"This is more than enough, and we thank you more than you can comprehend," a battle-weary Nabiki replied in sincere gratitude. Both women turned to the overlook on the shores of South Africa. It was one of the few... very few areas left untouched, since the madman Apocolypse ransacked the world in his unholy quest to weed out the weak from the strong; a campaign to prove 'Survival of the fittest'. He pitted mutant against humankind, with the next evolution of man under his favor, and with his Four Horsement, his generals of chaos and destruction, he succeeded far more than anyone could ever dream.  
  
They had scattered their enemies to the far reaches of the world, forcing them into hiding, and becoming nothing more than irritating mites upon his dominance. The last full alliance against Apocolypse had been based in Europe. Humanity's Last Stand stockpiled a great amount of nuclear arms, intended to be launched at the former United States of America. Because of this, Europe was now nothing more than a deep, radioactive, and newly formed ocean. Few had made it out of the atrocity alive, and even fewer were still willing to fight. To the rest, Apocolypse had more than arguably proved his dominance.  
  
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Nabiki continued, smoothing out her thin gray leather jacket with the red 'X' logo on the lapel.  
  
"Indeed, even on the Shi'ar home worlds, is there few breathtaking sights as this," the space-faring woman turned back to Nabiki, "Nabiki Tendou, we of the Shi'ar Empire wish you and your allies the best in your efforts. They have threatened to challenge our vast Empire. And as mighty as we are, the War Horse has proven too lofty a foe for us to not suffer direly in a full scale war."  
  
"I understand," Nabiki replied, "and that is why you wish to be discreet about your involvement." Nabiki patted the basketball-sized case that carried a stone more precious than any other in the universe, "the Ma'kraan Crystal shard you have given us will allow us to progress with our plans. With any luck, we may be able to bring Ranma down for good."  
  
"Just as you heed the warnings of the Crystal's gaurdian, and do not use this shard to travel in time," the stately but seemingly young woman warned, "And if another replaces him, just as he had Apocolypse?"  
  
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Nabiki said darkly, "You better get going, your window of blind detection will not last much longer."  
  
"True, and there is nothing more to say, at that."  
  
"May we meet in a brighter future, Queen Lillandra."  
  
"Godspeed to you and your kin, Nabiki Tendou." With that, the queen of the Shi'ar Empire, taking upon herself personally to deliver the Ma'kraan crystal shard to it's destination, as it was ordered by it's guardian, quickly departed. Nabiki stood watch, as the ship quickly accellerated from the atmosphere, and picked her communication unit from her jeans pocket.  
  
"I have it," she stated into the device, and waited for a reply.  
  
"Good, quickly, bring it directly to the location, we will begin as soon as you arrive."  
  
Nabiki closed her phone, and raised her hand. From the side of the cliff, rose a sleek black aircraft, but one of the few modes of transportation left to the X-Men; the last line of defense against the War Horse.  
_________________________  
  
The only internally disputed ruler took a deep breath, which caused his deathly-black outfit lined in the red of bloody violence to stretch over his scultped chest, as he overlooked the center of the empire that lay in the ruins of the once proude United States. He took no pride in his power, only in the thought of the struggles that went on between warring factions, pitting the strong against each other until only the stronger of the warriors and soldiers remained. Apocolypse had to smile at the thought of his dream being so fully realized.  
  
But his smiling skull would have to do.  
  
Ranma almost sighed, wistfully. He had proven himself the strongest, the greatest there was, by killing the one who made him as he was today. Apocolypse had granted him power, though not directly. When he attempted to further enhance Ranma's own strength, the Horseman of War refused steadfastly. Before Apocolypse became angered, Ranma offered another approach; knowledge.  
  
Apocolypse found the notion rather amusing, and thus attempted to cram the knowledge of 5,000 years of martial knowlege into his appointed general in a space of days. The process may have driven the War Horse mad at the time, and who's to say that it hadn't, and that he still wasn't?  
  
"It's about time they made a move," Pestilence stated factually, while smoking his pipe.  
  
"Of course, they think we no longer consider them a concern, by turning our attentions to the Shi'ar," Ranma replied, turning to the ancient man that was once his superior in the art."  
  
"So, you were baiting them?" Pestilence, once known as the evil martial arts master Happosai, enquired."  
  
"You are foolish to allow them hope, even a meager one," Death snarled in a voice that seemed to cause reality itself to hum and vibrate. The horseman of the final night's chest red chest puffed out, causing his bladed blue shoulder pads to flex aind clink in their segments.  
  
"When I want your council, I will demand it," the War Horse snarled back, "I'm enjoying this little game, allow me to entertain my pleasures."  
  
"You may be the one our former Leige chose to be War..." Onslaught challenged.  
  
"AND the one who killed our former leige," Ranma interjected, "Do not challenge me again. You may have added the might of the Richards child to you, but do not think yourself better than me. Don't even let the notion pass into your mind." The Onslaught's red gleeming gaze narrowed, but he gave no reply.  
  
"It is delicious how you toy with them, Toverish," Famine's aura pulsed with his twisted humor, "Allowing them to build up hope, and then crumbling it slowly." Carbondatium coils writhed and pulsed to show Omega Red's appeal to the idea.  
  
"The big red pompous one's right," Happosai stated, his black cloth mask that completely covered his face stretched with his expression, "You give them an inch, and they'll remove a pound of your flesh for your generosity."  
  
"And it will be a pound for pound," Ranma replied, admiring the way the sun tinged the clouds red as the eve approached, "and I guarentee that their pound will substancially hurt more than it would me."  
_________________________  
  
In the ruined landscapes of the Quangxi Providence, in an area to the west where three seemingly mythical tribes had resided, before they were all but annialated, a group of men and women who still fight for the riddence of the oppression that had been brought with the Age of Apocolypse had gathered. They were patiently waiting for the arrival of one of the X-Men, Nabiki Tendou, so that they could begin their desperate plan in earnest.  
  
The near silent whine of stealth thrusters signaled the blackbird's approach. A few left the cave they currently inhabited to observe the landing of the heavily modified SR-71 blackbird that decloaked and landed among the dense forest in the narrow spot that had been cleared for it.  
  
Nabiki walked down the walkway, followed by Havok and Samuel Guthrie. She stopped before Victor Von Doom, the leader of one of the many factions that opposed the War Horse's rule, "Everything set?"  
  
"Of course, Ms. Tendou," Dr. Doom replied.  
  
"That's 'misses' Tendou," Nabiki growled, and walked past the would be despot, almost shoving him out of the way. The armored man bristled at her audacity, but did not outwardly react, knowing how important their latest endeavor was to their unified cause.  
  
"Mommy! Mommy!" a little girl cried out, running up to the woman in her late twenties, "You got the gun to hurt Ranma?"  
  
"Yeah, Mommy did," Nabiki replied with motherly warmth, picking up her daughter, and turning to look at her younger sister.  
  
"She's been a good girl the whole time you were gone," Akane replied with a smile, "not an ounce of trouble, even Tarou and Doom were appreciative."  
  
"She is an acceptional and bright child," Doom responded, "It is not said that Doom does not have affection for the younger generation."  
  
"Yeah, you're a real baby-kisser," Nabiki replied with an acidic tone, "If you weren't already a merciless dictator wanna-be, you could have been a politition."  
  
"I WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS OUTRAGE!!!" Doom shouted, making a fist and bringing it to chest level, it started to radiate a pale blue energy to puncuate his threat.  
  
"POWER DOWN, NOW!" a stately woman's voice commanded, "You know we cannot risk detection here. This course of action is well too important to jeapordize for your pride."  
  
"I shall hold my anger abay, for this time," Victor Von Doom stated in a low voice, "But you best keep this... woman on a tight leash, Herb of the Musk, lest I put her to sleep for her impudence."  
  
"Cool it, Bub, lest I start mak'n like a can opener on your sorry hide." a short, stout man of a rough nature counter-threatened, flexing his own had which caused three razor sharp metallic claws to punch through the flesh of the back of his hand to emphesize his own point.  
  
"And I will not have any posturing, Wolverine."  
  
Wolverine unflexed his hand, allowing his claws to retract, "Whatever, Mags. So, we gonna get this show on the road, or not?"  
  
"Yes, the 'Unwavering Eye of the Dragon' is being held in the center of the cave," Princess Herb of the near deceased Musk tribe answered, "Matriach Xian Pu is waiting for the crystal shard along with Matriarch Pei Ling." Nabiki nodded, entering the cave. After a short distance, she wordlessly handed the box to Shampoo.  
  
"I trust there were no problems in the aquiring and delivery of this?" Shampoo asked, gaining a nod from Havok.  
  
"We had a few radar scopes, but we were too far out of their range for them to detect us," Alex Summers answered for Shampoo's benefit.  
  
"Then we shall now use the Unwavering Eye in combination with this crystal to find one who is a match for the War Horse, and finish him," the elder Pei Ling stated in a solomn tone, "Quickly, let us begin..."  
  
"A'hm afraid ah can't let you do that," Samuel Guthrie, a.k.a. Cannonball, spoke up in a jovial southern accent. Just as everyone turned to his direction, his form began to expand from humanoid into a large lump of techno-organic flesh, while absorbing dense minerals from the cave they were inhabiting.  
  
"SHIT!" Nabiki screamed, "IT'S A PHALANX!!!" She quickly pulled out her hand rifle, and drew a bead on one of the many heads that were beginning to form, "FALL BACK AND HOLD IT OFF AT A DISTANCE!!! HURRY UP AND GET GOING ON THE PLAN WHILE WE KEEP IT BUSY!!!"  
  
Shampoo nodded, escorting her elder to a farther depth of the unfortunately shallow cave. Holding onto the purple jewel which was the Unwavering Eye, Pei Ling tapped into it's scrying power. Amidst the noises and flashes from the battle that was happening beyond them, the jewel suddenly connected with the Ma'kraan Crystal via a thin strand of etheral energy. The eye, which could see into multitudes of dimensions, and sentiently interperate its weilder's wishes, began to utilize the crystal for the purpose of it's user...  
  
To find one, at his or her peak and prime, that could defeat the War Horse Saotome...  
_________________________  
  
Both Akane and Ranma knew that from this point on, things were to be different between them; nothing to be the same in Nerima. Their father's decree to postpone the wedding until Ranma was able to wrap up his fiancee and rival dilemma gave both him and the raven-haired girl a much appreciated breather. Without the pressure of a wedding looming over the distance, and a better understanding between the two, they could begin to at least get to know each other better, maybe even begin a relationship the *real* way.  
  
With that in mind, as they walked to school, Akane coyly reached out her hand to Ranma's, as she started to jog into a run. Ranma caught the hint, and reached out to grasp it in his own. Akane waited Ranma's hand without looking back, and waited. After a few moments, she came to a stop, turned a slightly irritated a lightly hurt expression towards Ranma, and then wondered where the insensitive jerk had gotten off to... 


	3. part 2

Ranma/ X-Men  
Age of the Wild Horse  
Part 2  
  
  
  
Ranma stumbled forward, instantly noticing the change in surroundings, "Hey, what the..." Before he finished his exclaimation, the den of violent battle attracted his attention. He didn't know what the hell was going on, but he could assume that the thing making like Akane's Sunday Special was probably the bad guy.  
  
The Phalanx was barely being kept at bay by the fire of potent energy rifles, but eventually, they all knew it would be overcome.  
  
"Quick, Warriors! Breaking Point out the other end! We'll try to bury it!" Xian Pu commanded to the five Amazon warriors she allowed to accompany her. The matriarch turned her attention to battling the transmorphic creature that served under the War Horse.  
  
"Shampoo, help us!" Xian Pu paused in her firing, startled at the pair of voices.  
  
"Lin Lin, Ran..." It only took an instant for her to realize her mistake, as the Phalanx with the faces of the two warriors it had assimilated years ago, dove at her...  
  
"KATCHU TESHEN AMAGURIKEN!"  
  
"NO!" Xian Pu cried out, wondering which of her tribe was foolish enough to attack the almost invincible Phalanx with their bare hands, even to save one of the heads of their tribe.  
  
That's when Xian Pu realized that the name called out was Japanese...  
  
Ranma's fist connected, in the intense speed of his blows, he could feel the putty-like mass cave in as if it were foam, causing him to lose balance. Tendrils of fleshy techno-organic mass reached around it's aggressor, the multitude of voices within it hungrily singing for a new addition to their collective.  
  
"Oh Shi-," Everyone else backed away, wondering who the brave, and incredibly stupid, boy was that sacrificed himself in such a wasteful manner. They used what precious few seconds bought for them to get into a better position to fire.  
  
Within the Phalanx, it began the process of breaking down it's latest victim, and suddenly realized a big problem. A plethora of screams raged from the techno-organic mass, as it started to 'regurgitate' its victim. Everyone remained still, stunned at the reaction. The sound of rock crumbling beyond them snapped them into action, and they all ran towards the noise, seeking to escape the overwhelming threat.  
  
"HAVOK, DROP THE CAVE ON ITS HEAD!" Nabiki shouted, as soon as she was out, being the last one. Alex Summers didn't even bother to acknowlege the command, sans for him powering up his uncanny ability to apply for immense damage. At the height of his cycle, he thrust both of his fists forward, unleashing a devestating plasma blast at the cave. Just before it impacted, a red and black blur rushed from it, gave a scream of fright, and leapt straight over the blast.  
  
The cave crumbled into slag and rubble, sealing the Phalanx inside it hopefully for some time. Several of the group took to firing at what had escaped from the cave, knowing that nothing would have been spared by the Phalanx if left inside with it.  
  
"Wait! I think that's Spiderman!" Akane called out, raising her hand to call for a cease fire. Everyone took flanking positions regardless, just as the figure landed from a plethora of complicated twists and somersaults to evade the blasts. Akane was the first to gasp in startled realization, feeling her heart still. The seemingly unflappable Nabiki's eyes went wider than anyone had ever seen them. Xian Pu had to be caught by one of her warriors before she hit the ground from faint. Pei Lin raised an eyebrow, but that was the only reaction she gave of surprise.  
  
Dr. Doom retained his facilities, being one of the few that recognized the newcomer, even at his current age. He turned to Pei Lin, and addressed her, "I presume that this was the results of 'our' desperate plan?"  
  
Ranma kept his hands up in surrender, not wanting to deal with the small army holding guns pointed at his general direction.  
______________________  
  
"I dunno, I was just walking to school with Akane, and next thing I know, I saw all of you fighting that weird silly-putty thing," Ranma stated honestly, sitting within the Blackbird, as it headed for its destination.  
  
"Hmm, something had gone terribly wrong with the Eye," Nabiki stated, looking towards her elder for confirmation.  
  
"Or this Ma' kraan Crystal shard, we must admit we do not understand it in the least, only that our allies from beyond the stars believe in its powers," the elder returned, slightly irritated at the implication that one of the few remaining Amazon treasures failed in its task.  
  
"What was that thing? When it had me, it felt... weird..." Ranma commented, slightly shivering in rememberance of the sensation that had washed over him when it enveloped him.  
  
"Phalanx. An alien being that was being utilized some time ago by the former US goverment in secret to elimenate the 'Mutant Threat', Nabiki explained, walking from the cockpit of the stealth jet, and looking directly at the pigtailed boy, "I had almost forgotten how cute you looked before you became an evil bastard."  
  
"Huh?" Ranma asked intelligently, before recognizing the familiar, but older and sterner face, "Na-Nabiki?"  
  
The woman nodded, "It's me."  
  
"How'd you get old?"  
  
Once again, 'unflappable' Nabiki was proven otherwise, as her left eye twitched at the insult Ranma obliviously made.  
  
She waited for the snickers to die down, and then glared at those who needed extra incentive to silence themselves, "I had also forgotten how tactful you always were."  
  
"Ah, you ain't gonna get uptight about that, are ya, Nabs?" Wolverine commented, starting to light a cigar, "It was an honest question..."  
  
"And I'll explain it," Nabiki replied, reholstering her gun, "And what have I told you about smoking in here?"  
  
"I knew there was a reason we didn't always see eye to eye," Logan growled, staring down at the stub of the cig that was left.  
  
"Ah... is that thing safe to fire in here?" Ranma asked, nervously eyeing the burn mark her handgun left on the wall.  
  
"She's yet to destroy the plane yet," Havok chuckled, while pointing to various burn marks all over the cabin. For some reason, Ranma didn't find that at all comforting.  
  
"How did I get here, anyway?"  
  
"I'm afraid that was by our doing," Pei Ling and Xian Pu stepped forward into Ranma's line of sight, "We were requiring the assistance of one who would have the power to defeat one beyond all else." Pei Ling sighed, "Unfortunately, an accident occured."  
  
"Hey, I'm the best there is!" Ranma piped up, not wanting the slight to his pride go by, "Maybe it wasn't a mistake?"  
  
Everyone onboard looked at each other with dubious expressions.  
  
"What?" Ranma asked, not taking the silence as a positive for him.  
  
"I'm going to check on Lynn," Nabiki stated, heading into one of the private cabins where her daughter was sleeping. She knew here daughter was okay, but she wanted to check on someone else.  
  
"So, what was this fight all about?" Ranma asked, "And who's this hotshot supposed to be that's got you all scared out of your pants?"  
  
Tarou got out of his seat, walked over to Ranma, and took up a lotus position right in front of him. With an intense glare that spoke of an intense despise and malice, he began to address the pigtailed boy, "Listen, kid, and listen good. I don't like you, and there are very few people around here who will, I'll tell you right now. So if you don't cut the flippant bullshit attitude, you'll find out exactly *how* many people don't like you, you got that?"  
  
"Gee, what got your pantyhose up in a bunch?" Ranma gave a nasty smirk after the comment, waiting for Tarou's reaction. It was rather satisfying to see the way his face went from barely controlled anger, to stunned and wide eyed with a tight, crooked smile that showed no mirth. Logan, Dr. Doom, Havok, and three Amazon women jumped at Tarou just in time.  
  
"NOT IN THE PLANE, YOU MORON!" Havok shouted, fighting as hard as everyone else to restrain Tarou.  
______________________  
  
"Hey, Akane, you okay?" Nabiki asked, stepping into the private room to find her sister watching over Nabiki's daughter.  
  
"Yeah, just dandy," Akane replied with a sullen voice, not looking up at her sister.  
  
"You know? It's gotta hurt Shampoo as much as it does yo-"  
  
"Exactly *how* can Shampoo feel the way I do?" Akane snapped, keeping her voice low as to not to disturb Lynn-chan. Akane emphesized her point by swiping the low hanging bangs on the right side of her face.  
  
Nabiki caught the point entirely, "I don't think he would care. You remember how he... uh..."  
  
"Gee, for someone who's lead the X-Men for three years, you seem to forget a few things," Akane traced the scar that ran down from her forehead, over her milky white eye, and down the side of her nose, down her lips, and to the top of her chin. "Face it, Ranma was an obnoxious jerk about my looks back then, and..."  
  
"Not in the plane, you moron!"  
  
Akane gave an 'I told you so' look to Nabiki, both of them knowing who was probably the cause of whatever was going on in the main cabin.  
  
"Okay, so he's not exactly the most mature guy the world has ever seen," Nabiki replied, "and you're right, Shampoo can't possibly know how you feel, but not for the excuse you're using." Akane snorted at her sister's use of the word 'excuse'.  
  
"Whatever, Nabiki."  
  
"Shampoo has told Ranma how she felt about him. Same with... Ukyo, and Kodachi..." Nabiki put her hands in the pockets of the jacket she was wearing, the one given to her by her late husband, and turned away, "Hell, even I've told him," Nabiki said in a low, almost quiet voice. What Nabiki had said last didn't escape her sister's notice, as Akane looked up at her with a curious expression.  
  
"Let's just say it was a prank that got out of hand," Nabiki replied, "Anyhow, Shampoo can't know how you feel, because she knew her love was unrequitted. If you find someone else or not, you're never going to be happy until that is off your chest. Our Ranma is beyond your reach, and you know damn well to let him stay that way, but you have an alternative, I suggest you take advantage of the opportunity."  
  
Nabiki watched her sister, as Akane turned back to watch her peacefully sleeping neice, "I'm going to go take care of whatever the Hell's going on out there, I'll talk to you later." Nabiki left her sister to her thoughts. 


	4. part 3

Age of the War Horse  
Part 3  
  
  
"Lovely, just absolutely lovely," Nabiki mumbled under her breath, as she was the first to exit the Blackbird. A heavily chagrinned pigtailed boy followed behind her, with Logan, Victor Von Doom, and Havok standing behind him with stern and warning expressions on their faces. Tarou kept his distance, knowing he wouldn't be able to contain himself if he got too close to the pigtailed boy who was as good as a deadman walking to him.  
  
Ranma looked up, and immidiately recognized Ryoga. The pigtailed boy immidiately began to concern himself with the whereabouts of Akane. Before he could ask, Ryoga turned to speak directly to Nabiki, "The Avengers fell."  
  
Ranma didn't know who the Avengers were, but from the sudden additional force of gloom that settled upon the large underground hanger, he guess they were pretty important to what's going on.  
  
"That... is very unfortunate," Pei Ling stated, her voice reflecting the gravity of the situation.  
  
"How did it happen?" Nabiki asked, keeping her expression cool for the sake of the others; she couldn't show them how rattled she currently was, particularly since their last ditch effort fell through so utterly.  
  
"The great and Mighty Mr. Ed sent Onslaught, backed by Carnage and a big ol' army of faydeen soldiers right down their throats," a massively built man with a skull mask and an 'x' on his chest of bones put in, "Herd the battle lasted three days."  
  
"What's Crossbones doing here?" Logan asked, glaring at the nemesis of the late Captain America, "You gotta lotta nerve...  
  
"Logan, that's enough," Nabiki cut in, "Though, he does bring up some valid questions. What brings you here?"  
  
"He had requested sanctuary of us," a woman of African descent with silver hair interjected, "We were quite..." she turned a slightly disapproving glance towards their resident sadist, Sabretooth, "... thorough."  
  
"I see," Nabiki commented, though wasn't about to drop her guard around one that prostituted himself to the highest bidder, which happened to usually be the War Horse himself.  
  
"Seems that our grim buddy was handed his walking papers, and then attempted to hand him his head," Spiderman, sans his mask, quipped, "They just had to settle for handing him his ass."  
  
"He's also brought us some valuable information that Castle, Magnus, and Domino are currently checking into," Ryoga defended, "We may be able to use what we got to bring the fight back to that bastard."  
  
"This does pose a problem, though," Von Doom commented, changing back to the original subject, "If the Avengers fell, our advisary may be looking to finally eliminating any internal threats to him on the planet, before turning his full attention to the Shi'ar Empire."  
  
"He always did consider the Avengers a greater threat than the X-Men," Nabiki mused. The Avengers roster was far larger than their own, and they consistantly made heavy attacks on key points in the War Horse's Empire, "We had our own incident with the Phalanx back in Quangxi..."  
  
"Did you succeed?" Ryoga interrupted.  
  
Nabiki took a deep breath, and was about to reply, before she was once again interrupted. "I'm afraid some things had gone awry," Pei Ling stated, cryptically. Ryoga then noticed the newcomer.  
  
"Uh, hey, Ryoga, w-what's shak'n?" Ranma asked with a slightly nervous tone.  
_________________________  
  
"GREAT! JUST FUCKING, UNBELIEVINGLY GREAT!" Ryoga shouted in the room that only allowed the meeting of the team heads and leaders of their allies.  
  
"Yes, we are going to have to look for other means of permenantly defeating the War Horse," Pei Ling spoke.  
  
"Ranma's forcing us to step everything up," Xian Pu argued, "He has wiped out the Avengers as a team, and we do not know how many of them have survived and are in hiding. He is pressuring us to start making our move now, we don't have the time to try to find something else."  
  
"Xian Pu's right" Havok affirmed, "He's trying to wrap things up before he moves onto the big boys."  
  
Nabiki rubbed her temples, allowing only those within the meeting to ever see her fustration. Sometimes she wondered what was it that allowed the remaining X-Men to acknowlege her as their overall leader, especially when she didn't think she was doing so well, "Everything's just getting worse by the second..." She sat up straight in her seat, and took a breath to still herself, "Lillandra has asked me, asked us, that if the situation was becoming too hot for us to handle, to contact them through the special means she has given me..."  
  
"And why have we not utilized their assistance?" Pei Ling enquired, "Surely their power would be a great asset to us."  
  
"It is quite simple," Von Doom interjected on Nabiki's behalf, "Lillandra is the Princess of the Shi'ar, but Death Bird is the commander of her forces."  
  
"I still do not see where that would be a problem..."  
  
"I get it," Havok started, "They'll sooner nuke everything on this planet, than deal with a mass struggle."  
  
"Ranma's proven that he may even be too dangerous for them," Nabiki sighed, "They already had uprisings within the Kree empire, which they suspect may be of Ranma's influence. If he's inspiring insurrections within the Shi'ar Imporium, he would be trying to force them into a battle on two fronts."  
  
"Clever," Pei Ling stated with a bit of distaste and slight admiration, "If their attention and forces are divided to handling their problems from within, it would allow Ranma all that much more ease to meet them in battle."  
  
"Well, we don't have much we can do at the moment but wait until our three scouts return from reconossance," Nabiki stated to all in a tired voice, "Shampoo, would you stay, please?" Everyone took the subtle que to get lost, and took their leave.  
  
"Is something the matter?" Xian Pu asked, sitting next to Nabiki and putting a comforting hand on the other woman's shoulder.  
  
"I... I don't think I can do this for much longer," Nabiki stated, "I'm not a mutant, or even metahuman. I don't have a great deal of knowlege on battle stratagie..." Nabiki stood up, and braced her hands on the round table, "I'm a widow with a daughter, for Kami's sakes, I just got lucky on a few calls, and everyone suddenly looked up to me for advice. Hell, even Doom addresses me with misplaced respect! This charade has gone on long enough..."  
  
"Is it a charade?" Shampoo asked, standing up and hugging Nabiki lightly to comfort the woman filled with self-doubt, "You may not have been trained to be a warrior all your life, but you were a born leader if I ever had seen one. You take into account everything, you treat all as your equal, and that they have something valuable to add. You're a gambler, true, but luck seems to always be in your favor, and you have the amazing ability to beat the odds every time. Every move Ranma has made against us, you have countered effectively, keeping all of us around to keep fighting until peace is restored." Xian Pu smirked, "And it's not hard to see why Doom gives you his respect..."  
  
"Please, I'm not in the mood for this," Nabiki griped.  
  
"Hey, you don't need to stay a widow forever!" Xian Pu continued her tease, "And if I'm not mistaken, for a once-evil despot, he has taken a deep liking to your daughter."  
  
"That's enough, Xian Pu," Nabiki growled, but a hint of mirth in the tone.  
  
"Hmph, well if you don't get him, some one else may. Men like that are good with children!"  
  
Nabiki chuckled at the thought of Victor Von Doom, the man who single-handedly battled Happosai, the Horseman of Pestilence, to a standstill; the man who had prior to the Age of Apocolypse, attempted to dominate the world for himself, bouncing her little girl on his knee. Xian Pu joined in on the moment of mirth, before Nabiki quieted down. The Amazon Matriarch grew a disappointed expression when she noticed Nabiki's face becoming drawn again.  
  
"Thanks, Shampoo, for at least trying," Nabiki replied, looking at the wood grain of the table. Xian Pu nodded, and left; knowing there wasn't much more she could do to cheer her best friend up.  
  
Nabiki kept looking down, even as Xian Pu left. Once she was alone, she reached one hand into her pocket, and pulled out a Shi'ar communication device. She eyed it closely, and considered the options. Lillandra had offered to ferry all those who wished to leave, as the threat on earth was decisively delt with by her sister. Nabiki knew the planet was in dire straits, but it was still her planet, *her* home, the planet of her daughter's birth. But this was the opportunity to get her daughter, and as many others as possible to safety, away from the despair that seemed only to remain in the world.  
  
Nabiki examined her options heavily, as she always does.  
_________________________  
  
"We CANNOT continue to suffer this insubordination!" Deathbird bellowed to her sister over the communication line, "He is inspiring uprisings against us that will hinder us greatly! The Kree have threatened to use their greatest weapon against us if we do not relinquish hold on them, and the Badoon are even considering supporting the Earth Imperium with technology that could prove extremely troublesome. Your feelings for..."  
  
"My feelings are not a factor in my decision," Lillandra interrupted her sister, "It is the right of them to attempt to handle this situation as they can. I will not impose this Empire over them until it is absoletely necessary!"  
  
"But it is necessary NOW!"  
  
"Remember your place, sister," Lillandra warned.  
  
"Forgive me, my queen," Deathbird replied in a low, almost patronizing voice, "but I feel that you are putting too much faith in the terrains to handle this when our own problems grow with the War Horse's continued existance."  
  
Lillandra nodded, "Indeed, that is why I contacted you. Though I have faith in the X-Men and their allies, there is a matter of prudence to be addressed. Your World Destroyer fleet will remain in the inner asteroid belt of their solar system. If my second contacting of them fails to reveal any fruit borne of their current plans... we may have to practice a show of force to prove to our own people that we retain control."  
  
Deathbird smiled ferally, and nodded. 


	5. part 4

Age of the War Horse  
Part 4  
  
  
  
  
Ranma looked around nervously, as those in the meeting conversed in private. He still had no idea what was going on, or how he had gotten there, all he knew is that he was thrust unwillingly into a bad situation, as usual. The accusing stares he was recieving from some were also not unusual; the intensity of those stares, however was not something he had ever experienced.  
  
Ranma once again looked around for someone familiar; Nabiki, Shampoo, and Ryoga were with those others he was considering to be the big shots of this operation. He hadn't seen hide nor hair of Akane or Ukyo, and hoped that in this future that the worst hadn't become of them. Kodachi, as morbidly depressing as people seemed to him, he didn't *want* to find her.  
  
"Excuse me, mister..." Ranma looked down to find a pudgy infant in a diaper and a bonnet, sucking on a pacifier. Ranma considered the comical appearance, and knew something was up, "Are you the big meanie evil Ranma person that is blowed up the Earth?"  
  
"Huh?" Ranma replied intelligently, not understanding a word of english  
  
"Oooh! You look so keeeeeeeeeUUUTE when you say 'huh'! Do it again!" Ranma blinked, as he found his cheeks being pinched by an overweight woman with a massive lips.  
  
"HEY!" Ranma shouted, flipping backwards from the usettling sight. Ranma's battle sense went off, realizing his exclamation got everyone's attention, and they all seemed ready to start something.  
  
"Morph, leave the kid alone," Logan commanded, glaring at the sometimes more than mild irritant to his own side. Wolverine then turned to Ranma, and spoke in Japanese so that he could understand, "And you, none of this may be your fault, but you better watch your back. Until we get you back home, you're a prime candidate for some o' these folks stress relief."  
  
"Feh, won't be much different here than it is back home, I guess," Ranma replied nonchilantly, waving off the concern as if no big deal.  
  
"Femboy's right," Tarou stepped in, giving Ranma a nasty, unfriendly smirk, "He makes enemies like it's a hobby. He probably doesn't have any friends by now in his own time."  
  
"HEY!"Ranma exclaimed, "I got PLENTY of friends!"  
  
"Nobody invited you into this conversation, Tarou," Wolverine growled at the younger man.  
  
"Well, I'm inviting myself," Tarou replied with an edge in his voice.  
  
"Uhhhh... yamete! I can't keep up that fast!" Morph asked, flipping frantically through a Japanese-to-English dictionary he morphed his left hand into.  
  
"Hmm, lemme see," Tarou seemed to muse over his charge, "If you're anything like the our Ranma was, you constantly verbally abuse your own fiancee, string around three other girls, beat on anyone who tells you different, you're a hypocrite, a dirty opportunist, your honor is only worth your time when it suits you..."  
  
"Shut up, Pantyhose freak," Ranma growled, crouching low as if getting ready to pounce.  
  
"Tarou, if you don't shut your trap, I'm gonna pin it shut..." Wolverine warned, once again, bracing himself for confrontation.  
  
"Wait, I'm missing something..." Tarou urged, relishing Ranma's irritation and anger, "Oh, yeah..." From behind his back, Tarou pulled out a cup of water, and tossed it at Ranma before he, or rather she, knew what happened, "You're also sexually confused!"  
  
"IT'S YOUR ASS, PANTYHOSE BOY!" Ranma-chan shouted, leaping at the man with a flying kick. Tarou casually stepped to the side of it, and then ducked the follow-up Roundhouse. Ranma immidiately closed the gap, and utilized her chestnut fist. Tarou was able to guard against the first second of it, before a blow slipped into his side.  
  
"YOU LITTLE FREAK!" Tarou shouted, ignoring the pain from his side, and driving his knee right through Ranma's guard and into her gut. Ranma-chan whuffed, as air was expelled from her lungs, and she doubled over. Her head then raised up, as she caught a right rising hook to the jaw. She was then launched straight up into the air by a heavy left upper cut, and sent flying backwards from a left thrust kick.  
  
Ranma-chan was sent skidding along the ground, clutching her stomach from the devistating kick that sent her sliding almost twenty feet away before she bounced, was sent back into the air, and slammed into a wall. Ranma then slumped down, limp.  
  
::SNIKT::  
  
Tarou stared at the two pairs of claws that jutted out from the sides of his neck from behind as best he could, but refused to show the nervousness they made him feel. "Morph, check up on the kid," Wolverine commanded, "Me and 'Pantyhose Boy' are gonna have a few words."  
  
Morph was upon Ranma, wearing an Angel of Mercy uniform with a massive syringe, "Don't worry! This won't hurt a bit!"  
  
"MORPH!"  
  
"Sheesh! He's alright, just..." Morph's pale face became slightly serious, "just bleeding internally, ah... medic?"  
  
"WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON, HERE?!?" Everyone who was finally no longer startled at Ranma's transformation turned to see a furious Akane, something not even Wolverine himself wanted to face, "LYNN IS TRYING TO SLEEP, AND YOU GUYS ARE BRAWLING OUT HERE?!?"  
  
Ranma groaned, and sat up against Morph's urging. Her bleary eyes came to settle upon the woman that had just entered. Akane. Even with Akane older, and Ranma's vision unfocused from the slight concussion, she could make her out. Akane had definitely grown into a proper woman, and the way her hair was covering the left side of her face while the rest of it framed her head made her seem sexy and alluring.  
  
"A-Akane?" Ranma breathed out, getting the woman's attention. With wide eyes, Akane stared at Ranma, before remembering her disfiguration. She quickly covered the left side of her face with her hand, and ran from the hanger.  
  
"Akane, wait!" Ranma urged, trying, and barely succeeding, to bringing herself to her feet, before stumbling to her knees. Ranma tried again, and started forward, before someone's hand grasped onto her shoulder.  
  
"Ranma... don't."  
  
"What's it to you, Pigboy?" Ranma shouted, immidiately recognizing the voice, even almost a decade older. She slapped his hand from her shoulder, and turned to face her once rival, "Little Piggy still got the cru..." Ranma stopped, her angry face becoming neutral, "What happened to me, where am I in this time?"  
  
Ryoga visibly baulked, before his face became as neutral as Ranma's, "Come on, we need to see about getting you home before you get too tangled up in all this."  
  
"Where the HELL am I, Ryoga?" Ranma-chan demanded, "What's it with all the evil looks I'm getting? What the Hell did I do to piss everyone off so bad? What's wrong with Akane? Why am I in the future, anyway? JUST WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON?!?"  
  
"Ranma..."  
  
"DON'T TRY TO CALM ME DOWN! I..." Ranma blinked, and then refocused back on Ryoga, "i..." Ranma stumbled, and collapsed into Ryoga's arms.  
  
"I tried to warn her, reeeelly! Reeeeally I did!" a mad scientist with wild, white hair exclaimed.  
  
"Morph, we don't have time for this, go get Tofu..."  
  
"Firm or Hawaiian?" Morph asked, holding up a lump of white tofu and a lump of yellowish tofu.  
  
"MORPH!" Wolverine, Ryoga, and a newly entered Nabiki shouted all at once.  
  
Morph changed into a dog, and scampered for Dr. Tofu with his tail between his legs.  
  
"What happened here?" Nabiki demanded, glancing at the unconcious girl in Ryoga's arms with barely repressed emotion. From the prone position Wolverine had Tarou in, it wasn't difficult to figure out what probably did happen.  
  
"Tarou started... and finished something with Ranma. I was just about to take him aside and explain to him how to be a proper host."  
  
"You do that," Nabiki replied, "Just one more headache to add to the growing mass for Nabiki. No wonder why Charles went partially insane."  
  
"Nabs, you know not to joke about that," Wolverine chided.  
  
"Sorry, sorry, just too much at once. Go ahead and do what you were about to do, I want to talk with Tarou when you're done, though."  
  
"No prob," Logan replied, befor turning back to Tarou, "Now see what you've gone and done? The adults are all upset at you."  
  
"Hmph, what's the shemale's reason for being here, anyway?" Crossbones asked, pulling himself off of the wall from where he was enjoying events, "From what I'm hear'n, it ain't from our quaint lil' portion of the time line..."  
  
"'He'..." Nabiki corrected, "Was brought here by accident. We're intending to send him back as soon as Tofu finishes with him."  
  
"Still don't answer my question," Crossbones pursued, "How you go and mak'n 'accidents' by pull'n people from the past where things were rosy and perky and the dames were still hot to trot?"  
  
"Hey, this isn't the result of your great master plan, is it, bosslady?" Peter Parker asked, staring off to where Ryoga had carried the redhead to.  
  
"We have a lot to prepare for, and some big decisions to make too soon," Nabiki stated, changing the subject, "Looks like we'll have to bring the fight to the War Horse, and a lot earlier than we had hoped..." Nabiki fiddled with the device in her pocket; the thought passing through her mind that she is fighting a lost cause.  
_____________________  
  
The War Horse was furious from the news he had just recieved. The Avengers were finished, and he had never sanctioned the strike, "ONSLAUGHT! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE, NOW!"  
  
The air shimmered with power before the War Horse, and Onslaught, the Horseman of Death, appeared before his current 'master', Ranma wasn't impressed by the display of energy, which would have made Onslaught frown, if he had a mouth under his Magneto-esque helmet to do so, "You bellowed?"  
  
"I want to know WHY you went and destroyed the Avengers WITHOUT my permission!"  
  
"Is this a rhetorical question, or are you that much an idiot?" Onslaught replied in a snide tone.  
  
The War Horse narrowed his eyes, "Do not try my patience more than you do so now..."  
  
Onslaught's own eyes narrowed in challenge, "We will come to conflict, and soon, War."  
  
"I've been expecting it for some time, Death."  
  
"It was an opportunity to rid ourselves of a thorn in this empire. I would not allow it to pass us by."  
  
"I will say when those 'thorns' are to be removed, and *me* only. Do you understand, or do I have to make you?"  
  
"You will not best me as you did before..."  
  
"Yet, you still haven't retaliated," Ranma smirked ferally, "I think you know I still may have more than one advantage over you..."  
  
"We shall see..." With that, Onslaught vanished. Happosai faded from the shadows, and came to stand behind Ranma.  
  
"Why do you insist on pushing him? You can still easily fall before him, you know?"  
  
"It's nice to know that he'll keep me on my toes, I enjoy this little game we play. It is but another example of survival of the fittest."  
  
"It doesn't make much sense to coax him like you do."  
  
"Coax? I avidly encourage it!" Ranma stated with a smile, "We shall prove soon, who indeed is the fittest between us."  
  
"I see, just as you did in your past life, you live for the fight," Pestilence nodded his leave, "I was on my way to the Harem." Ranma dismissed him, considering all the fun ways he could take insubordinate associate down a few pegs... 


	6. part 5

Ranma/ X-Men  
Age of the War Horse  
Part 5  
  
  
  
Ranma blearily opened her eyes, and then cursed herself. Tarou had easily blown through her defense like it was paper, and attempted to cave in her stomach in the same move. The redhead groaned, trying to sit up, and found the unbearable pain in her torso keeping her from being able to do so.  
  
"Ranma, best you try not to move just yet. That extraoridinary ability to heal of yours is doing its best to help you recover, but its still going to need some time."  
  
Ranma recognized the voice, and felt relief; it was all just a bad dream, "Oh man, Doc, you wouldn't believe the dream I had... huh?"  
  
"If it's anything better than what going on now, I wouldn't mind hearing about it," an older Dr. Tofu stated with a sad smile.  
  
"Doc... what happened to your arm?" Ranma stared at the folded left sleeve of Ono Tofu, knowing immidiately what it meant.  
  
"Just about everyone has their fair share of battle wounds, Ranma. Compared to some, this isn'tthe worst."  
  
Ranma continued to stare in shock, "But... how can you be so okay with that?"  
  
"I've come to terms with it a long time ago, Ranma," Tofu replied in a solumn tone, before perking up for Ranma's benefit, "Besides, I still have my other one!"  
  
Ranma sighed, and looked away, "Where the Hell am I? Nobody's the same," winced slightly from inhaling, "Even Tarou got the best of me, can you believe that, doc?"  
  
"Tarou's been through a lot, Ranma, he needs to be that strong to be able to survive. It would probably be best to steer clear of him."  
  
"Why am I here?" Ranma asked solumnly, staring up at the ceiling.  
  
"Well, I don't know all the details, myself," Dr. Tofu started, sitting down in a chair nearby, "But you weren't supposed to be here, I'm pretty sure."  
  
"Well, that's telling me a lot," Ranma moved her hands from her sides to her stomach, "Can't anyone around here give me a straight answer?"  
  
"I will provide you with the answers necessary," Herb stepped into the infirmery, and stood by Ranma's head.  
  
"Hey, Herb, if you're looking for a rematch, it'll have to wait for a..." Ranma attempted to look down at herself, "...an hour or so, then I can hand you your butt, too."  
  
"It's good that you retain your humor, we seldom recieve any of it, unless you count Morph's irritating antics, or Spiderman's benine quips of banter," the princess folded her legs under her, as if she were upon a stool, and floated in the air.  
  
"Whoa, nice trick," Ranma complimented, "Why you still a girl? For that matter, why am I still a girl?"  
  
"I thought it best to leave you in your girl form for the time being," Tofu answered for the second question, "It would be easier to help you without having to deal with resetting your ribs in your guy form."  
  
"And I no longer have a curse," Herb replied with a regal and proud, yet saddened tone.  
  
"Then why you still a girl?"  
  
"The curse was just the trigger, the forms are not the curse," Herb explained, "Ranma... our Ranma, set out to eliminate any form of magic on the planet, Jusenkyo and its curses included. He had reasoned that such an unpredictable force such as magic could be turned to his disadvantage."  
  
"Does Ryoga still turn into the pig? Pantyhose boy, the walking surf and turf?"  
  
Herb frowned at Ranma, "Tarou is now of the Musk tribe, and as his princess, I granted him a new name. He still had a sore spot for his old name, so don't use it to provoke him. As for the curses, we were able to cure Ryoga's beforehand, before Jusenkyo was destroyed, fortunately. Tarou's... the War Horse eliminated it for him."  
  
"But, why would I... your Ranma destroy Jusenkyo?"  
  
"Let's make this clear, Saotome, you are *never* to confuse yourself with that monster, is that clear?"  
  
"Greetings, Nabiki," Herb greeted to the newcomer.  
  
"Yeah, we've been tapdancing around telling you what's going on, but that's for your benefit," Nabiki continued, "If you really want to know the truth..."  
  
"Well, out with it, already!" Ranma demanded with a slightly mirthful tone, "I ain't going anywhere, so you might as well tell me what's going on, finally."  
  
Nabiki sighed, and sat in the chair Herb had pushed up behind her with his ki. She nodded thanks in appreciation, and then rubbed the bridge of her nose with her fore and index finger of her right hand, as if attempting to ward off an oncoming headache.  
  
"Where to begin..."  
_________________________  
  
Ranma stood before his father in a black version of his usual apperal, with the addition of a blood red sash that seemed like it was made of energy itself, steel bracers, and a swimming red kanji symbol for 'War' on his right breast. It had been over two weeks since anyone had seen Ranma, over two weeks since the unexplicable explosion that ignited a good portion of Japan's forest. After intensive searching from the pooled resources of Genma, the Amazons, and Ryoga, they had at last found Ranma.  
  
"What do you mean, boy?" Genma's voice rumbled like none have heard it before. It was the first time they have ever seen the man truly furious, even Cologne had to feel a bit of awe.  
  
"You heard me, old man," Ranma replied, his own voice reeking of distain for the man before him, "I no longer have any obligation to you, the family name of 'Saotome', or your petty school of which you idealistically hold aspirations for."  
  
"You're announcing yourself Ronin, then?" Ryoga asked, disbelieving that his proud advisary and rival would do something so drastic.  
  
"No," Ranma replied firmly, "I know where I belong. No longer am I Ranma Saotome, I am Apocolypse's first and best Horseman, I am WAR!"  
  
"How melodramatic of you, Son-in-law," Cologne chided, though she could feel the drastic and dangerous change in Ranma. Because of this, she had been completely on her guard, and far ready to use whatever means necessary to stop Ranma, any means necessary.  
  
"Perhaps," The young man tossed his head, causing his unbraided ponytail to lapse over his shoulder, "but it is now my moniker."  
  
"Ranma," Genma seethed at the audacity his son was showing, "I will not allow this."  
  
"Hmph," Ranma turned, and began to walk off through the dense forest that surrounded the battleground of where he and Ryoga had pitted their first learned Amazon techniques against each other, his ponytail swayed with his uncaring stride, "I ain't giving you a choice in this matter. But... if you chose to... voice your concern..."  
  
Genma did just that, vanishing into the Umisenken. Ranma stopped, and smiled, though no one could see it, "The Umisenken. You'd be surprised on how many variants there have been documented of the move you're currently using, for instance..." Ranma's hand snapped back and to his right, "Did you know Jack the Ripper used such a move? Also, it is well documented within the theives guild of such techniques."  
  
Genma reappeared, his throat in Ranma's hands. He fought to make his son relenquish his hold, but to no avail, as it seemed Ranma own arm and musclulature 'contorted' with each blow and pressure point used upon him. Ranma chuckled at his former father's plight, "You know, 'Pop'? You've had this coming for a long time..."  
  
Everyone's eyes widened at the 'crack', barely audible, yet thundering in their ears. Ranma dropped the limp body, and stared at his hand in disgust, "Now, where's some water to wash his damnable presence off?"  
  
"There is no hope for you, is there?" Cologne stated, first one to recover her voice from the shock.  
  
Ranma turned his gaze towards the rest of his search party, "I had only come to tell you that you need no longer search for me. We will met again, but until then, leave and grow strong, because the Time of the Apocolypse will soon arrive.  
  
"Wrong, child," Cologne's battle aura sprung to life, forcing the other three that were at her side to quickly evacuate her presence, "I do not understand what all this about an Apocolypse is, but I know you're not acting like yourself."  
  
"For once, old hag, we agree on something," Ranma replied in a mirthful tone, "but don't think it's because I'm posessed or something."   
  
At an uncanny speed, Cologne shot towards him, and in that instance, she noted every potential pressure point she could utilize to end the battle quickly. She didn't get a chance to use any of them, as she was suddenly thrown into the air, redirected via a variation of Happosai's very own favored technique. Problem was, Cologne thought she detected it coming from at least twenty different angles.  
  
The Amazon Matriarch barely was able to regain her balance in the air, and landed a distance off. She turned to stare at Ranma in surprise, "What... what was..."  
  
"You like that? It dates back at least 8,000 years, origins somewhere in Persia," Ranma lectured, "It's name loosely translates to 'The Earth against One'... sure beats your 3,000 years of Amazon knowledge, huh?"  
  
"Tell me, where did you learn of such a technique?" Cologne demanded; if the boy knew of such a powerful and ancient attack, he had become far more dangerous than the Matriarch first surmised. She now was quite ready to sanction Ranma, and give the command to everyone present.  
  
Before she could attack again, Ranma faded, as if he were being erased by the very wind, "Now is not the time for confrontation. That time will come far too soon for all of you. And even when it comes, you'll not be ready for it. But remember this, only the fittest shall survive!"  
_________________________  
  
"It took less than four years, with heavy resistance against the War Horse, for him to reduce the world to what it is today," Nabiki continued, staring at Ranma with an intense gaze, "A little while after that, for some reason you offed the Big A and took over, and have been even worse for us, yet we can stalemate you. Only me with the X-Men, Captain America with the Avengers, and Johnny Storm with the Defenders have been able to thwart your attempts at total domination..." Nabiki then bowed her head, and closed her eyes in remourse, "And the Avengers I heard have fallen."  
  
"What?" Tofu exclaimed, "You can't be serious? Is anyone-"  
  
"We don't know, and it's too much of a risk to try to contact any of them right now," Nabiki stated somberly, "But, Ranma's now making a big push, so we may be forced to do, or die."  
  
"Nabiki, they're back," Logan interrupted, "Sorry, but I think this can't wait."  
  
Nabiki nodded, and then turned back to Ranma, "I'm sorry we brought you into this. As soon as we can, we'll send you back home." With that, Nabiki followed Wolverine out the infirmery, followed by Princess Herb.  
  
Ranma hadn't been paying attention to Nabiki when she left, lost in her own thoughts. It didn't escape the red-head, that despite Nabiki's adimant claims that it wasn't her fault, Ranma had caught the accusations of 'you' and 'your' when she was talking about the War Horse. Ranma resolved, she would redeem herself.  
  
This was now her fight, be damned they try to stop her. 


	7. part 6

Ranma/ X-Men  
'Age of the War Horse'  
  
  
  
"Whatever it is, the Warhorse is gearing it up *big*," Frank Castle stated with a gruff tone that was laced with concern.  
  
"Two-hundred miles west of New York, there's a plant," Magneto cut in, "It was manufacturing Sentinels twice as fast as we've previously ever seen."  
  
"Kami..." Nabiki whispered. This wasn't good, not at all. But, something wasn't adding up, "But why? He never expressed that much intrest in crushing all opposition. If he's making that many sentinels at a time, he..."  
  
"He is preparing for a full out conquest," Princess Herb interjected, "He probably decided to do away with the Avengers, since they posed the most threat to such a plan."  
  
"But... we do have some good news to report, at least," Domino decided to add her findings, "Looks like he's pushing a great deal into getting everything up and ready so soon. A good deal of his resources are being devoted to overseeing the plant, and the retrieval of materials to continue progress. It's still heavily guarded with mostly auto-patrollers and Faydeen soldiers, but New York is left pretty open if we approach from the Canadian border, instead of the Sea Wall. He even sent the other horsemen out to their respective territories, after some meeting earlier this morning. Though, I think Pestilence lingered a bit."  
  
"Leaving the King open, while he prepares the queen..." Nabiki commented, "Sounds like something he would do. A real do-or-die move in Ranma's book. But it still seems too..."  
  
"I share your concerns," Magneto commented, after Nabiki trailed off, "It's like he's daring us."  
  
"Yeah, and he knows that if we don't take it, we're royally screwed," Nabiki sighed in fustration, before hissing a curse, "Damn it, he's toying with us!"  
  
"It seems that the War Horse has never considered us more than play-things. Something to precariously disgard after he was finished with the game," Pei Ling stated with her own irritation sinking into the comment.  
  
Nabiki blinked, and turned to the Amazon Matriarch; there was something about the comment that triggered something in her mind, but she couldn't figure what it was.  
  
"Is dire as the situation is, we all agree that this is an opportunity we cannot pass up," Shampoo stated, "We don't know how long he's been producing the Sentinels, or how many he's built aand where they're at. He could send them to scour the globe, and we can't possibly handle a legion of them."  
  
"Charles... why me?" Nabiki whispered to herself, as she rubbed the bridge of her nose with her index finger.  
  
"Charles Xavier may have been an idealist, but he did know how to choose his successor." Magneto answered.  
  
"Though it galls me, as it is best for all that leadership should fall under me..." Victor Von Doom started, before being cut off by Nabiki's raised hand. He fumed, but held his tongue.  
  
Nabiki glared at the former arch-enemy of the X-Men, "That was a rhetorical question, and we all know that he was under... duress... when he made that decision."  
  
"Nonetheless," Magnus Lescherr continued, undaunted, "It was a choice well made. I would not stand by you myself, if I didn't believe in your ability."  
  
"This isn't a flattery session, we need to figure out what we're going to do about this before it blows up," Nabiki took a deep breath and considered things. Everyone could see from the way her eyes constantly shifted, that she was doing what she was best at.  
  
"We can't afford to take to little a chance with this. Two strike teams. The first one will be a full stealth team. Wolverine, Shampoo, Tarou, Domino, Spiderman, Doom..." Nabiki considered it almost as an after-thought, "and Crossbones. They're going to find a way to neutralize the auto-defenses, and if possible, turn them on the home team."   
  
"Crossbones?" Shampoo asked her friend, incredulously, "He cannot be trusted!"  
  
"Perhaps, but none of us really knows the layout of that place very well, and with Spiderman's spider sense, they should be able to keep him on a tight leash." Nabiki's face grew dimmer, "If... they don't succeed... Magneto, Princess Herb, Sunfire, Exodus, Richtor, and Havok... clean sweep from the west side of the city, wide-scale damage for about thirty minutes, then run. If we can't take it, we'll distract him at least so he'll consider diverting his forces."  
  
"That may force him to launch his plans pre-maturely, before we're even ready to begin to handle his army of Sentinels," Pei Ling added.  
  
"Agreed," Doom almost bellowed, "Such a plan will only serve to bring our end that much sooner."  
  
"Hold it," Nabiki shouted, herself, finally allowing her face to express the desperation she was feeling, "Don't you get it? Everything is as good as gone, if we don't wrap this up *NOW*!"  
  
Nabiki slumped back into her chair, "Besides, I... have a contengency plan, if we fail. But I would rather not use it, unless we have to."  
  
"You would sacrifice our lives for such a desperate plan?" Doom growled.  
  
Nabiki looked him straight in the eyes, with her pokerface completely set, "Only if you take the job I'm asking..."  
  
Everyone understood right then.  
  
Nabiki looked at every person in the room, before standing up, "Pei Ling, we have someone to send home right now. The rest of you, you can give me your decisions, after briefing the other members of this mission." With that, she and the Amazon matriarch left the war room, for the rest to ponder.  
_________________________  
  
"But that crystal thingy brought me here!" Ranma proclaimed adimantly, "I..."  
  
"And it did so by mistake," Pei Ling interrupted, "I'm afraid, you are not, at least yet, ready to combat our world's Ranma. We would needlessly throw away a hero and warrior needed elsewhere."  
  
"Bull! You guys said it yourself, you're up the creek, and I'm the guy with the last paddle!" Ranma gained his usual confident smirk, "Besides, you can't make me go if I don't want to..."  
  
"Ranma, be reasonable," Ryoga sighed, not looking towards his one time rival.  
  
"Heh, 'reasonable' must be a new word for ya, Pork-chops."  
  
"Ranma," Ryoga's voice became hard, "Tarou beat you pretty easily, and he is nowhere near the match of our Ranma. You have no place here, just... go home."  
  
"So the panty-hose freak took me out with a few cheap shots!"  
  
"And our Ranma has thousands of 'cheap shots'," Nabiki interjected, "Ranma, listen. As much as we need you to be the guy who can fix everything, you aren't. I'm sorry to have gotten you involved in all this, but if there's one thing that can come out of all this, remember everyone you'll be hurting if you ever take the path our Ranma did. If you want to fight this war, then finish it before it ever gets started."  
  
Nabiki smirked, and grasped Ranma's shoulders, "Ranma, maybe you weren't supposed to be here, but if we send you back now with the knowledge about all of... this, then it at least gives us a bit of hope, that somewhere, everything is going to go for the better." Taking a few moments to remember a young and innocent Ranma's face, Nabiki leaned down a bit, and kissed him.  
  
Ranma stood, with a bewildered expression on his face. Not that she didn't look nice, and all, but it kind of wasn't the thing he was expecting from her, of all people. His akward position was interrupted, as Shampoo pulled Nabiki away. The young Amazon Matriarch gave Nabiki a wry glance, causing the leader of the X-Men to blush.  
  
Nabiki somewhat regained her composure, "Something to make sure he never forgets, cause he can't afford to."  
  
Shampoo shrugged, "Actually..." The pale-lavender haired Amazon almost swept Ranma off his feet in a swoon, before delivering her own kiss. Everyone in the room raised an eyebrow, and snickered, as Ranma dropped to the ground, frozen. "I wish I had though of it, first," Shampoo stated, tossing her hair to the side.  
  
Nabiki chuckled at her friend's antics, "Xian Pu, sometimes... Somebody, help Ranma u- huh?"  
  
Ranma was already being helped up, once again a bewildered expression on his face, as the pale-faced woman with the humongous... eyes... layed a sloppy wet one on Ranma's lips.  
  
"Uh-oh..." Ryoga whispered.  
  
Morph changed back to his usual appearance with a sheepish grin, "I didn't wanna be left out."  
  
Ranma immidiately snapped out of his daze, and casually turned to speak to Nabiki, "Um, is that a guy or a girl?"  
  
"I'm not in this," Nabiki commented, turning away, and indirectly answering the question.  
  
Ranma thought back to what little English he knew, "Run, Spot, run..."  
  
From the doorway, a lone woman watched, as her one-time fiancee intended homicide on the transmorph. The light mirth she felt did nothing to overturn the full and constant feeling of longing and lonliness she felt; wishing she could have been able to meet the younger Ranma... face to face.  
  
Nabiki held firm onto her emotions, though a tear rolled down her cheek, "Pei Ling, I guess we should get started..."  
  
While Morph was still keeping Ranma occupied, Pei Ling began to concentrate on the crystal and the Dragon's Eye. After several moments, she blinked her eyes open in confusion.  
  
"It's not working..." 


	8. part 7

Age of the Warhorse  
  
  
  
Nabiki sat on the stool that had been place in the hanger of the Blackbird, grousing over the current situation, and the new complications that have arisen. It wasn't another two hours until they all departed for their mission, and the modified stealth jet had already been prepped for departure. Everyone involved with the mission had gone to take care of their own personal details, before they left on what all of them knew, but never voiced, would be their most desperate mission yet.  
  
"Damn you for forcing my hand, Ranma!" Nabiki whispered to herself, as she fiddled with the device in her pocket. Nabiki had a new consideration to take into account; They couldn't send the younger Ranma back for some reason. Nabiki wished she could contact Lilandra, and possibly find out what was wrong with the M'kraan crystal shard, but the risk of contact at such a critical moment could jeapordize all they were currently working on. As it was, they were already on shaky supports with next to no chance of succeeding; regardless of the miracles Nabiki Tendou and her X-Men had managed to pull off in the past.  
  
She had decided that allowing the younger Ranma to be around was far... FAR to unsafe to do. If the War Horse were to somehow get ahold of his younger counterpart, he may just end up killing the alternate Reality Ranma, if they were lucky. The worse that could happen was there ending up being *two* War Horses for them to contend with. The Alternate Saotome would be one of the ones included, if Nabiki had to use her final option of evacuating all they could from the planet, and Ranma would be kept in the utmost secrecy.  
  
"Hey, Nabiki!"  
  
The widowed woman looked up to find her current reminder of how their other desperate attempt had fallen through, "Yes, Ranma?"  
  
The pigtailed young man approached, followed closely by Dr. Tofu and Xian Pu, who seemed a bit nervous. Ranma stood in front of Nabiki with an expression of the utmost seriousness, "I wanna go with you guys."  
  
Nabiki shot to standing, and threw an irritated glare to Xian Pu, before responding, "Hell.... No."  
  
Ranma baulked, even hearing the capitals in the two words Nabiki stated firmly, but didn't give in, "Come on, I'm in this too, now! And you could always use more help against this War Horse creep!"  
  
"You just don't get it, do you?" Nabiki was showing one of her rare moments of anger; all of it directed towards the young man confronting her, "This is way out of your scope, Ranma. Tarou's one of our best at hand to hand; you can't even take him now, as much as your pride won't allow you to admit it. Tarou can't even begin to be measured on the War Horse's level!"  
  
"I got more at stake in this now!" Ranma retorted, beginning to meet Nabiki's ire, "Just because you guys ain't got any faith in me-"  
  
"YOU GOT 'MORE AT STAKE' IN THIS NOW?!?" Nabiki began to shout, causing Tofu and Xian Pu to step back with incredulous expressions, and several others to come into the hanger to find what all the fuss was about, "WE GOT A WHOLE. DAMN. UNIVERSE AT STAKE HERE! WHAT IN THE HELLS DO YOU HAVE THAT COULD MAKE ME GIVE A DAMN?!?"  
  
Ranma stood firm, matching Nabiki's furious gaze, "You're not keeping me out of this. Heck, even *you* keep confusing me with this jerk! When you did that, you made it a matter of personal honor, and my personal honor is one of the few things I got left!"  
  
"Then, why don't you do those 'few things' a favor, and keep out of this, Ranma," a familiar voice stated from nearby. Even if it was older, Ranma immidiately recognized it.  
  
"Wha? Akane?" He turned to find her walking from the hanger in a brisque manner, "WAIT!" Before he could even start to sprint off, Tofu was already retracting the index finger on his remaining arm.  
  
"Sorry, Ranma," the doctor apologised with a solumn tone, "but I think things are a little too tense right now without you adding to things."  
  
Ranma started to tumble to the ground, only to be caught by Xian Pu. She looked at the comatose young man in her arms, and then to the doctor with a slightly saddened expression.  
  
"You know very well he's not hurt," Tofu stated firmly, "Put him in the infirmery for the time being. I'll undo the pressure point once everyone has cooled down a bit." Xian Pu nodded, and carried Ranma to the infirmery.  
  
"Looks like the pressure is start'n to get to ya, Nabs."   
  
Nabiki found Logan leaning against the wall of the underground hanger, lighting a cigar. She made quick strides towards him, and snatched the carthonagetic from Wolverine. She then took a deep drag on it, threw it to her feet, and ground it out under the ball of her shoe, as she blew out the smoke. "What have I told you about smoking in here, Wolverine?" Nabiki growled, before storming off.  
  
Wolverine would have been extremely irritated with her, as usual, but everyone had heard the concern in his voice when he stated the obvious to her, "This ain't good. The coach is getting wound up tighter than an overworked clock spring..."  
  
"You thinking that this mission may be a mistake?" Havok enquired, finally approaching after witnessing events.  
  
"It would be a mistake to do nutt'n at a time like this," Wolverine replied, "and Nabiki's plan is the best one we can come up with in a pinch. I'm just hop'n she can keep her head straight when it all goes down."  
  
In the shadows, a barely seen skull and crossbones faded completely into the darkness, choosing to remain unnoticed by anyone.  
_________________________  
  
The War Horse stood on the balcony of the remodled Empire state building, and overlooked the city. He had sent his generals off to do whatever business they needed to contend with for the next day or so. He really wasn't concerned with that, though, as he had sent them off for other reasons. He also expected one or two of them to remain behind.  
  
"WAR!"  
  
The War Horse sighed; Onslaught was just too damn predictable. "Meet me at ground level, I don't want to have to bother with repairing my favorite overlook." With that, Ranma jumped off the balcony that was situated at near the top floor. As he dropped, feet first, he looked up to find Onslaught diving down after him. The pigtailed warmonger gave a derisive snort, as he continued to plummet.  
  
After what seemed like an eternity of falling, due to the War Horse's anxious anticipation, he landed into a crouching kneel, not even making a sound, and barely scattering even the lightest dust in his vicinity. Onslaught landing was much more dramatic, as he landed in a kneel that shook the ground for almost a kilometer in radius.  
  
"Good ol' New York Bedrock, huh?" the War Horse quipped in levity.  
  
"DIE!" Was Onslaught's only reply, as he shot forward his right hand, and released a massive beam of reality-scarring energy. The War Horse smiled, as he let the beam overtake him, and completely swallow him up as so his form couldn't even be seen through it.  
  
Onslaught continued the beam for thirty seconds, until he was satisfied his bane was more than obliterated. Imagine his surprise, when he found the War Horse shaking his head, and turning to look behind him.  
  
As far as his eye could see, a massive trail of destructive force was behind him; a momument to the awesome abilities of Onslaught, the Horseman of Death.  
  
"IMPOSSIBLE!!!" Onslaught shouted, as he brought both hands up.  
  
The War Horse held up his right hand to forestall another attack, "Don't even bother. You couldn't possibly hurt me, regardless of how much you throw at me."  
  
"THEN I SHALL BREAK YOU WITH MY FISTS!" Onslaught darted at his advisary, and slammed a massive fist into the War Horse's cheek. The impact shattered remaining windows for seventy yards around them, but War didn't even budge. Death let out a shout of fury, as he attempted a double ax handle blow onto the top of the War Horse's head, not even taking heed of the way the War horse calmly place his palm onto Onslaught's stomach.  
  
The warmonger shook his head in resignation, as he watched his opponent go sliding backwards, totally obliterating anything that was unfortunate to be in his body's way.  
  
Once he finally came to a stop on his back, Onslaught quickly shot to his feet. If his face were capable of it, he would have expressed his incredulous surprise at the situation.  
  
"Now, do you understand?"  
  
Onslaught jumped, feeling shocked for the first time in his life, as he found the War Horse perched on his right shoulder in a lotus position. The War Horse continued, as if he didn't notice, "You may have the ability to control reality... but your power is nowhere near the might of my knowledge."  
  
Onslaught's eyes went wide, as he suddenly collapsed, face first. War calmly dropped to the ground, grabbed Onslaught's hand, and dragged him almost effortlessly back to where they had come from. The War Horse had complete control over the whole fight; the reality-altering and devistating blasts were easy enough to counter by applying a technique that may have been alien in origion, and possibly responcible for many of the eastern notions of balance. It was based on the idea that any and all energy was capable of being redirected, since it could not be created or destroyed; he simply stole some of the energy from Onslaught's blast, and used it to form a simple sheild around him as if he were redirecting a physical blow, and returning the energy back to its source. Same with the palm attack that sent Onslaught flying. The final subduing of Onslaught was by a safeguard Apocolypse had installed, as he presumed Death to be the most dangerous of his Horsemen.  
  
This little scuffle was to ensure that Onslaught presumed the War Horse invincible; he may have used a means not of his own invention to finally take down Onslaught, but he didn't have to know that.  
_________________________  
  
Dr. Tofu looked over a comatose Ranma, and sighed. He was pretty sure the pigtailed boy wouldn't trust him now, but he hoped that they would soon be able to send him back to where he came from, making it a moot point. He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts, turned off the lights, and left the room; it was fifteen minutes until Nabiki and them would be departing, and he wanted to see the off.  
  
Once sure the good doctor had departed, Crossbones walked out from his hiding place. "Hm, lesse here, looks like the doc did something... around here..." the mercenarie's gloved hand shifted from where Dr. Tofu had poked Ranma in the neck, and poked him in another part of his body.  
  
"DOC! HOW COU-" Ranma found a gloved hand covering his mouth.  
  
Crossbones retracted it, and made a shushing motion. "Kid, they gonna take off here innabout fifteen. Think ya got a plane to catch."  
  
Ranma stared at the guy he was pretty sure was some sort of bad guy, but didn't look a gift horse... er... skull in the mouth. With a nod, Ranma made his way out of the infirmery. Crossbones smiled under his mask; he wasn't much for politics, but he did know when a man had a few things he had to handle for his pride. 


	9. part 8

Age of the War Horse  
  
  
  
  
The turbulant winds outside the hull of the sleek modified blackbird was all that could be heard onboard, as all the occupants of the vessel silently contemplated their tasks, and the grave seriousness of the mission they were embarking on. Not a one turned down Nabiki request for their participation, not even Crossbones, who gave the excuse that he had a score to settle with 'the great and mighty talking horsie'.  
  
The rest stated that there was nothing left to lose with this one, so may as well go out making the biggest nuisances of themselves they could, before they gained the same fate as the Avengers. Nonetheless, Wolverine could easily feel the nervousness radiating from everyone, regardles of how calm or jovial their outside appearances were. he would have scoffed at the act, but knew it was good for everyone's morale to allow their false bravado. It was pretty apparent not everyone would be coming back, but he, Crossbones, and Doom would even bother contemplating that scenario.  
  
Logan settled back into his seat, subtly eyeing each of the mission personel; the ever-optimistic (though misplaced) and experienced Spiderman, the easy going Hispanic and terrain rupturing Rictor, the arrogant but trustworthy Tarou, the illustrious and master of magnetism Magneto, Leader of the Neichizu Shampoo, the skilled and lucky by birthright field specialist Domino, Once would-be global monarch Victor von Doom, the plasma wielding Havok, the living star known as Sunfire, the neigh-infinitely psi-powered Exodus, the human Dragon Princess Herb, the shifty but honorable Crossbones, and himself, with Akane apparently brooding in the backroom, as she was accustomed to doing when she wasn't babysitting her neice; some of the most powerful beings on the planet, and it was still a massive gambit.  
  
Wolverine's eyes stopped for a moment, and seemed to stare off into the distance. Nabiki walked in from the cockpit, and noticed Logan's expression, "You've never been one for contemplation, something got you worried?"  
  
Wolverine's eyes shifted to their de-facto leader, and snorted, "It's do or die time, Nabs. No sense thinking about it, since it's only gonna go one way or the other." With that, Wolverine stood up, walked a short distance, pulled out a cigar, and lit it. No sooner did the end light, did a low powered beam cross in front of it, shearing off the majority of the stoogie.  
  
Wolverine didn't even respond to Nabiki, who casually reholstered her gun, as he turned to look at the scorchmark on the wall, "Hmph, your aim was a bit off." Nabiki blinked, wondering what he was talking about, as Logan sat back down, folded his arms, and closed his eyes. Crossbones chuckled, looking at the scorchmark on the wall, before turning his attention elsewhere. leaving everyone else puzzling over what just happened.  
  
Against the wall Wolverine had been studying carefully, just a couple of inches away from the scorchmark, and still somewhat safely cloaked in the Umisenken, Ranma stared incredulously at the results of the near-miss to his head.  
____________________________  
  
Sneaking across the boarders of the empire of the War Horse was all too easy, and their landing twenty miles away from their destination had gone completely undetected. They all had to wonder, despite security drummed up at the Sentinel plant, why was it so lax around the seat of the empire?  
  
The obvious answer; it was a trap.  
  
Nabiki did not want to consider that option, as she kept up with the more physical members of her entourage with little effort, thanks to the rigorous training she had put herself through under her little sister's supervision.  
  
They quickly arrived within the inner-sanctum of the War Horse's empire, being especially careful to avoid the faydeen patrols that swarmed the area, albeit much more thinly than usual.  
  
Crossbones took point, leading them to the most unsecured way into the Empire State building, "He don' even botha keep'n the sewers blocked off, even if they ain't even in use."  
  
"Nothing's setting off my Spider-sense other than the obvious ambient danger around here," Spiderman confirmed the safety of the entrance.  
  
Wolverine stepped forward, and unsheathed his claws. He pulled his hand back, ready to cut the old grate open, "Good, and I got a set of keys right here... but first thing's first..."  
  
Instead of puncturing through the wall, Wolvering swung his fist into a backhand strike to seemingly thin air. Much to most of their amazement, the 'thin air' parried the strike.  
  
"How long did you know?" A disbodied voice enquired with it's own surprise, before Ranma materialized.  
  
Nabiki had to bite her lip to keep from screaming out, as the others either groaned in fustration, or went into defensive. "Ranma! How..." Nabiki noticed that Akane was staying in the shadows, out of Ranma's visible sight. With a growl, she addressed her youngest sister, "You knew the whole time, didn't you?"  
  
"Nabiki," Akane stated in a resigned voice, "This is Ranma we're talking about. Even if I forced him, he would find a way to muck things up, anyway."  
  
"Damn it! You not understand the importance of what we're doing here?"  
  
"It is too late to rectify this... predicerment," Doom interjected, "We still have a mission at hand. Best we minimize the problem as we can."  
  
"Ranma..." Nabiki visibly forced herself to calm down, "Ranma, looks like you're stuck with us.." the leader of the X-Men turned a harsh glare towards her sister, who returned the look with one of indifference, "You are *not* to do anything, unless I tell you to, is that clear?"  
  
"You screw things up for us, Fem-boy, I'll personally make sure you live *just* long enough to realize what you've done," Tarou stated with near shaking anger.  
  
Ranma tossed the once-cursed man a glare, "I ain't gonna muck this one up, and I deserve a shot just as much as you guys are gett'n at this jerk."  
  
"Ranma, this is final, you are not, I repeat, *NOT*... to take on Our Ranma, is that clear?" Nabiki stated in a voice that was stone hard. She turned to look at everyone else, "That goes for everyone here." Once she was sure that was clear, Nabiki turned back to Ranma. "The point of this mission right now is to neutralize all we can of Ranma's resources. If we completely cut him off from his powerbase, and destroy it, we can cripple him from the inside out, and possibly throw in a great deal of confusion that we can further take advantage of."  
  
"Ah..." Ranma started, "I guess that sounds okay, but..."  
  
"But what?" Nabiki asked with a terse tone, though rather curious to what Ranma had to say.  
  
Ranma seemed oblivious to her attitude, "Well, if this bozo really is some screwed up version of me, I don't think I would keep all my eggs in one basket, even if I was setting a trap for you guys." Everyone blinked, as Ranma mentioned 'setting a trap'.  
  
"Maybe, but our Ranma enjoys playing with chance. He may not keep everything under one roof, but his most important things are here, where he could personally guard them."  
  
"Something ain't right about this," Ranma mused out loud, but was ignored.  
  
Just as Crossbones stated, there was little survelance in their entrypoint, and what little there was; between Spiderman, Crossbones, Doom, and Wolverine; they were easily neutralized.  
  
They came up in an old sectioned off area of the building that had not been renovated when the War Horse took up residence. The stale air around them idly reminded a few of their current situation; trapped in a dire situation with no way out, until an opportunity, no matter how slight, presented an exit.  
  
"He's got a main control room in the middle floor. That, we ain't gonna get in unless we plan on making a little ruckus."  
  
"Good, I didn't feel like sneaking around all night, anyway," Tarou stated with a grin, while popping his knuckles.  
  
"Wait a sec... how much older does this other Ranma look?" Ranma asked, coming up with an idea.  
  
Nabiki had already considered the idea well before Ranma came up with it, and had shot it down flat, "Absolutely not, Ranma."  
  
"Boy's got the right idea. We can do this quiet-like, if he goes an' tells them to switch patrols. Bet he would even show up clean on the genetic scan, no worry'n."  
  
"I'm NOT putting Ranma in that much risk, Crossbones. Don't put any ideas into his head!"  
  
"Keep it down, children, some of the goosesteppers around this here corner are getting antsy." Wolverine stated, quietly unsheathing his claws.  
  
Xian Pu finally spoke, "It's no good, too much opposition."  
  
"It's not like the leader of the Amazons to baulk at such a slight challenge," Akane stated in a goad, hoping it would motivate her sister's best friend.  
  
Xian Pu didn't rise to the bait, "I'm not the leader of the Amazons for making... taking stupid risks, Akane. This is too dangerous, and if we fail, we will reveal too much about ourselves."  
  
Wolverine started backing up, pointing everyone to the stairway. All the party started to comply, exept for one.  
  
Akane and Nabiki started to scream out, but suddenly found their mouths covered by Doom and Crossbones, respectively. Xian Pu stood with a wide-eyed expression, before swearing in a low voice in Mandarin, pulling out her twin bonbori made of reinforced vibranium.  
  
Ranma stopped in front of the group of Faydeen soldiers, that had started to investigate the slight noise down the way, and folded his arms while wearing his most intimidating and irritated expression.  
  
"S-Sir?" the head of the group responded, quickly snapping to attention.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Ranma asked in a menacing tone.  
  
"Ah, our patrol is usually assigned to this floor."  
  
"Ah..." The pigtailed young man paused for a second. "I KNOW THAT!" Ranma snapped, quickly regaining himself, "There was a report of intrusion on the bottom floor, why aren't you checking it out?"  
  
"Um..." the leader of the Faydeen group looked back; the confusion on his face was apparent even through his helmet, "Why don't you just assign Patrol 6? It's their area."  
  
"I want to make doubly sure, alright?" Ranma replied, getting into the act, now, "I can't have anyone interfering with my plans when they're... uh... close to fruitation!" The faydeen soldiers fortunately didn't notice the groans around the corner.  
  
"If that is you will, sir," the squad leader responded in a salute, and attempted to move past Ranma.  
  
"Hey! Take the other stairway! I already secured this one myself!"  
  
"Um... other stairway?" one of the other soldiers enquired.  
  
"He's referring to the cordianed off area," the leader clarified.  
  
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm talk'n about!" Ranma confirmed, "Now GO, before I get ticked or something!" To emphesize his point, he cupped his hands in front of him, and began to form a Makotakabisha.  
  
Each of the soldiers baulked, before hurrying down the other way to their duties. Ranma sighed in relief, before turning back to his compatriots, "Alright, they're gone."  
  
Nabiki poked her head around the corner, and looked around with an incredulous expression. "Is anyone else other than me surprised that actually worked?"  
  
Not a single one answered negative. 


	10. part 9

Age of the Warhorse  
"Alright folks, time to enter centerstage," Nabiki whispered, "Doom, Tarou, Domino, Crossbones, you're with me in there. Doom, you'll be the one that figures out how to throw a monkey wrench into the War-Horse's empire."  
  
"I well know my place in this scheme," Doom voiced, " You would rather Crossbones be with us, if for any treachary, as well as having one of your best martial artists to deal with the close combat. and I presume Domino is for ground cover?"  
  
"And a little luck," Nabiki added, considering the pale mutant's ability, "Spiderman, you stay out here with Wolverine and keep an eye on Ranma. If anything goes wrong, Wolverine...?"  
  
"Signal right here," Logan replied, holding up the solid light generator which would punch a hole straight through to the sky, alerting the other members of the X-Men that were scattered around the city if anything went array.  
  
"Why am I out here?" Ranma griped, "You should have all *three* of your best martial artists in there!"  
  
"Ranma, you're not even supposed to be here." Nabiki snapped, before recovering her calm, "Anyhow, I'm leaving you out here for a reason other than for your safety. If something goes wrong, Wolverine's going to need a good solid fighter to back him up, and you're appearance should at least keep them confused enough to allow us *all* to get out... hopefully."  
  
"Ah," Ranma started, "I guess that makes sense."  
  
"I don't particularly trust Crossbones..."  
  
"And I'm such a trust'n soul," the former hitman for the War Horse's Empire dry-toned.  
  
"...but I do know that he isn't likely to sell us out in while he's in there with us.  
  
"What makes you believe that?" Xian Pu asked in a worried tone.  
  
"Because he's going to be directly in front of the firing squad if he is. Ranm... War Horse isn't going to be descriminating against who dies in there, if it is a trap." Nabiki replied, factually.  
  
"Nabiki," Xian Pu began to urge, "You have a child, if anyone should be in there..."  
  
"And you have a whole village," Nabiki interjected, "Xian Pu, if there's anyone I would trust in my place, it would be you. My daughter knows... her nanny more than she knows me. She'll be alright."  
  
"I will personally guarentee her safety," Doom added, "That is Doom's word," Xian Pu looked sceptical, but held her tongue.  
  
"Next floor up..." Nabiki brought her weapon to ready, "Doom, the distraction, if you please...?"  
____________________  
  
"What the Hell was that?" War Horse enquired with an irritated tone, as the building began to shake; he was right in the middle of dinner, too.  
  
"Nothing to worry about, Ranma," Happosai commented, "Just a few guests that unexpectedly decided to stop by. Maybe we should set out more plates..?"  
  
The War Horse blinked in slight confusion.  
____________________  
  
Crossbones, Tarou, Domino, and Nabiki stayed within the range of Doom's personal cloaking device, as they raced towards the large control area that held several core controls. The explosion at the base of the building would draw most of the attention to that area, leaving the top a bit more thinned out even moreso than the wild goose chase Ranma sent them on.  
  
"Where's Akane?" Tarou enquired in a steady, untaxed voice.  
  
"We already decided what she'll be doing," Nabiki replied, in almost the same effortless tone, "We couldn't risk addressing her in Ranma's presense"  
  
"Umisenken?"  
  
Nabiki nodded at Tarou's inquiry, "She's on the way to locate our own sister. She can cover the whole building in the time it takes us to finish are part of this mission."  
  
"She could have been used better with us," Doom quipped, "any advantage in this poorly crafted scheme..."  
  
"Like I said, if you could come up with a better one on such short notice," Nabiki snapped back.  
  
Domino checked point, and motioned the clear. up ahead was their destination. Only six guards, only two seconds for Tarou to drop them all in blinding speed and complete silence. Doom moved to point, and quickly worked on the lock panel for the double brass doors that Ranma had lavishly installed for theme. The former monarch quickly became concerned about the ease in which he broke it.  
  
Before he could voice his opinion, Domino once again moved to point, "Uh, oh crap..."  
  
The War Horse looked back at Domino, and then past her to Doom, Crossbones, and Nabiki.  
  
Nabiki turned to aim her weapon at Crossbones, expecting treachary, but found herself shocked to see the mercenary's own expression of surprise, even through his mask.  
  
"You know?" The War Horse started, standing up from his dining room table, "If I had known, I would have had extra portions made..."  
____________________  
  
Princess Herb floated near the base of Niagra Falls, safely hidden from detection for if she was necessary. As much as she disliked being reserve, she hoped that she wouldn't have to be called upon, since that would mean that most likely one person wouldn't be returning, and they were in more dire straits than before.  
  
The comm. unit disguised as the broach that held her cloak together on her shoulders came to life, unfortunately signifying that her own hopes were for naught. As she listened, her face grew even more pale, as the voice wasn't Nabiki's, and the voice warned that the situation had grown even darker than they had comprehended...  
____________________  
  
"WHO SET US UP?" Nabiki shouted, laying pinpoint shots into the wall of fayadeen soldiers that were suddenly swarming them from the hall, and the dining room.  
  
The War Horse stood off from the battle, but shrugged at Nabiki's inquiery, "I haven't the foggiest. But can you keep the damage down a bit? This furniture's rare..." Ranma swayed out of the way of a blast Nabiki aimed for his head, incidentally incinerating an old Japanese wall scroll, "That wasn't necessary, Nabiki."  
  
Both Crossbones and Tarou demolished legions of guards that seemed to run endlessly, as Domino, Nabiki sniped any that attempted to take aim or approach them, while Doom confronted Pestilence in a rematch both of them craved. They couldn't afford to be tied up like this, they had underestimated Ranma's resources for guards substantially, and they couldn't last forever.  
  
The War Horse was surprised at their arrival, so someone else had arranged for all of it. Happosai didn't seem phased by their arrival, but it was far from his operating proceedure; if he had anything to do with it, Ranma would have well known.  
  
"WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!" Nabiki called out the obvious, but served more as a focusing cry than an observation.  
  
"We stuck cozier than dolphin meat inna tuna net," Crossbones answered, almost casually snapping one soldier's neck with no fanfare, "We got the shimmy down'n us, an' I ain't tak'n da rap for dis."  
  
"Nabiki, they aren't running out!" Domino shouted, before noticing light flashes every so often. "He's teleporting them in!"  
  
"How very observant of you," Tarou drolled, grabbing one guard, using him as a shield, then as a club, then as a mat to wipe his feet off on.  
____________________  
  
Ranma, Xian Pu, Spiderman and Wolverine were currently occupied with the standard gaurds attempting to investigate the commotion on the floor above. All three of them surrounded the beacon that shot a ray of light straight up, signifying their distress to the others.  
  
"They're gett'n thick, here," Wolverine grunted out, as he thrust one set of claws into a nearby fayadeen, and then backhandedly pitched him into an onclosing regimen.  
  
"Think it's bad here, it's gonna be swimming upstairs," Spiderman stated with a concerned tone, while flipping over one solder, webbing the top of his head, and used his momentum to sling shot him into a nearby wall, before swinging him back into several other unfortunate units of cannon fodder. Xian Pu remained deadly quiet, focusing on demolishing any soldier that came within range.  
  
A slight breather came through, cutting a direct path through the crowding soldiers, and leaving them in a more confused state.  
  
"What the heck was that?" Ranma shouted over his own battles.  
  
"Shut up and keep fighting," Wolverine commanded, knowing full well who it was, and that it was best the kid didn't find out.  
____________________  
  
"RRRRRAAAAANNNNMMMAAAAA!!!!"  
  
The evil despot in question ducked down, while putting the piece of steak he was holding into his mouth, incidentally ducking under the vacuum blade that soared just barely over his head. "Ah, and the uncute one arrives to complete the party!" He used his cloth napkin to courteously wipe his mouth, before standing and addressing the enraged woman before him, as if unaware of the thickened battle being waged around him, "How's the eye?"  
  
Akane leapt at Ranma, throwing a fleet of vacuum blades at him, fully intending to rip him to ribbons. With casual ease, he swayed between them, while idly backhanding one of them away. Tarou took the opportunity of Ranma's distraction to attempt to catch him blindsided.  
  
The War Horse darted to the side of the punch from behind, and then flipped over backwards from the adopted Musk clansman. As soon as he landed, both Akane and Tarou were pressuring him without giving quarter.  
  
"WHERE'S MY SISTER?!?" Akane demanded, allowing her rage to fuel her attacks to the point of leaving sonic booms in their wake just from her heaviest punches.  
  
Ranma pouted a bit, before sighing, "I get it, you're not here to see me. At least it's good to know you two would stop by for a good spar."  
  
"SHUT UP AND DIE!" Tarou commanded, putting as much, if not more effort into pounding Ranma flat as his teammate was.  
  
Nabiki looked up from her area of commotion, and noticed the battle going on with the War Horse, "NO! DON'T CONFRONT HIM!!!" It was at that moment of distraction that she caught a blast in her shoulder. It wasn't too much more than a grazing wound, but enough to put her to the floor.  
  
"NABIKI!" Doom became distracted, proving to be a deadly mistake, as he was suddenly sailing across the room, and intending the wall.  
  
"Fool! Forget about me during a battle, will ya?" Happosai taunted through his black cloth mask, as he charged the former despot with the end of his pipe.  
  
As the tide of battle began to turn for the worse, a massive surge of ki from above incinerated a large cluster of soldiers. Happosai stopped his charge, somewhat impressed by the energy expultion that just occured, as the War Horse simultaniously caught Akane's foot and Tarou's knee, while directing his attention to the newcomer.  
  
Herb descended from the ceiling reagally with her cloak wrapped around her. As she landed, a ring of ki exploded from her, killing several more soldiers.  
  
With a growl, Ranma tossed both Akane and Tarou against each other, then away from him, "Damn it, it's getting crowded in here..."  
  
"Allow me to open some breathing room." With that, Herb brought out one of her hands, pulsing vibrantly with energy, and shot it straight down into the ground.  
  
"Aw, cripes..." The Warhorse growled, as he was forced to plummet down the length of his own building...  
____________________  
  
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" Ranma barely managed to leap back away from the large beam that cut him off from Wolverine, Xian Pu, and Spiderman. Xian Pu also dodged the blast, which seperated her from everyone else.  
  
"That was Herb..." Spiderman called out, just barely managing to bound to a wall before he also got pulverized.  
  
"She shouldn't be here, Wolverine called out, "Something's gone up, big time, and not just this lil' donnybrook."  
  
"Indeed," Princess Herb stated, descending with the other members of their party in tow. Her voice grew even more grim, as she continued, "Our prime base of operations was attacked..."  
  
Before anyone could gasp at the revelation, "I DIDN'T ORDER ANY ATTACK ON YOU GUYS!!!"  
  
Herb barely had time to blink, as the War Horse rocketed from below towards her, and landed a heavy fist against her chin. With her concentration erupted; a wounded Nabiki, Domino, Dr. Doom, Crossbones, Akane, and Tarou were freed from their safe captivity, and plummeted below. Spiderman quickly made a dive for Nabiki, catching her and descending down the newly created chasm, as everyone else landed with their own devices.  
  
The War Horse lazily somersaulted in the air, before allowing himself to descend, "Now, how about we all just talk this over calmly? What's this about an attack?" As cavalier as his tone was, the sheer amount of anger being displayed in his aura was apparent.  
  
"BASTARD!" Tarou had rebounded off of part of a surviving floor, moving to intercept their nemesis, "DON'T EVEN PRETEND TO ACT IGNORANT ABOUT THIS!!!"  
  
"You're in my way." It was said with a deadly calm, which belayed the furious backfist that Tarou recieved, sending him rebounding off a wall. To all who were his allies, the resounding 'crack' shook them deeply.  
  
The War Horse landed gently, ignoring the heavy thrump the newly created corpse made. "Now, I asked a question."  
  
"YOU MONSTER!"  
  
"Wha-oh!" The question remained unanswered, as the War Horse was enveloped by a steady beam of ki, courtesy of an enraged Princess Herb. With her concentration and fury focused on the one that killed her potential signifigant other, Happosai reappeared from the shadows, moving to blind side her. Fortunately, he didn't get very far.  
  
Wolverine grinned, as both his feet landed square on Pestilence's head, "Sorry, bub, didn't see ya there. Coulda been all that sneak'n in the shadows you were doin'."  
  
The blast from Herb earlier had dropped them all down to the second floor, while eliminating the majority of the soldiers that hounded them.  
  
"REGROUP AND EVACUATE, NOW!" Nabiki barked out, dropping any facade of confidence, and allowing her tears of agrivation, desperation, and failiure cascade down her face. This proved she shouldn't have been leading the X-Men, she had no right to be at the helm. The prior command would probably be her last.  
  
With no hesitation, the members of the X-Men obeyed. Doom fired back into the wall, his blast barrelling through four more walls before reaching the outside. Domino lobbed several concussive gernades in a wide spread, while Akane threw a massive vacuum blade at the wall above and behind Ranma, while Spiderman shot a double strand of webbing into it, and pulled, attempting to collapse it down on the leading Horseman of the Apocolypse.  
  
The collapsing rubble and wall of explosion that separated them from the War Horse well provided means of distraction. In the distance, sounds of destruction could be heard, as Magneto, Rictor, Havok, Sunfire, and Exodus adimantly initiated the backup plan.  
  
The War Horse looked out beyond the escape route into the night, not seeing any of them. "I'll go track them down, Ranma," Pestilence replied, only to be waived off by Ranma.  
  
"No, let them go. I want to have a word with Onslaught when he wakes up." 


	11. part 10

Age of the War Horse  
"Lady Deathbird, we have intercepted a signal originating from the Warhorse's domain."  
  
The commander of the Shi'ar forces face tightened in distain, "No doubt he's communicating with rebels of our empire. scramble it, we cannot afford his contact with asurpers.  
  
"Understood." The officer commenced the order, as Deathbird smiled deviously.  
________________________  
  
"Oh man," Ranma whispered to himself, firmly encased within a cloak of inconspicuousness; a signature technique of the Umisenken. He had heard the battle that had been waged far down below him, but by the time he had prepared himself to leap down and join, he saw the floor collapse when they toppled the wall over his alteriverse persona, before they made their escape.  
  
That also left his options for escape rather limited, as now the ground floor and perimiter of the building was crawling with guards, not to mention the Warhorse and Happosai. That only allowed him the option of the Saotome secret Defense technique #2, when the Saotome fastbreak could not be utilized. Based on the prinicples of covert and passive stratagy, it allowed him needed time to observe his opponent, and formulate a tactical counter to their stratagy.  
  
Ranma groaned at the idea of having to hide for long periods of time, just as he had when his father and him would have to abruptly skip town during his training trip, but there was too much going on for him to take head on by himself. He needed to understand the situation.  
________________________  
  
"It's over," Domino stated in a quiet voice, as she looked at the sabotaged Blackbird. They were stranded behind enemy lines. Even if they decided to make the trek through Canada to the northern east of the once-proud country, they would never make it in time before Ranma's men found them.  
  
Nabiki sat on a nearby rock with her forearms resting on her knees, and her head bowed; silently withstanding the heated beratement of the enraged princess Herb.  
  
"My faith was sorely misplaced! How could I have ever considered you a peer of tactical prowess? All you had managed to do was stall for your inevitable failure, and take any hopes we ever harbored with you! If we had even put any moderate consideration into our plans, Tarou would still be alive!"  
  
"That's enough, Herb," Logan growled, laying a hand on the once proud prince's shoulder with a firm grip.  
  
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH ME!" Herb didn't even turn around, as she raised her hand, and blasted her teammate through several trees. Nabiki hadn't even looked up, but flinched at the sound of wood being pulverized by adamantium bones covered in human flesh. Her head hung even lower, at the tell-tale sound of an angry Wolverine's claws becoming unsheathed.  
  
"Ya got steam to blow? Well I got six release valves right here..."  
  
"CEASE THIS ASININE IN-FIGHTING, LEST DOOM QUELL YOUR LIVES BEFORE OUR NEMESIS IS GRANTED THAT-"  
  
"Stay outta this, Doom," Havok calmly, but angrily interjected, "We don't need you adding fuel to the fire."  
  
"If you wish to die now by slaughter, than by battle with our foe, Logan, I will gladly accomidate you," Herb herself spoke with a deadly quiet control in her voice, as her pink aura became lined with a sickly green hue.  
  
"Whoa, hey, guys? Can we... um... cool down and talk this over?"  
  
"Don' waste your breath, web-head. They gone an' lept offa da deep end."  
  
Spiderman spun on Crossbones, "Shut up! It was probably your fault we're all in this in the first place!"  
  
"You wanna make accusations? How 'bout I un-make them for ya?" Crossbones cracked his knuckles, just before a vacuum blade cut between him and the wall-crawler, and one intercepted Wolverine before his sprint carried him into Herb, who was cycling her ki to the utmost potency.  
  
"ENOUGH!!!" Akane screamed; her yell so vehemently given that the ground seemed to shake slightly. All the bickering ceased immidiately, as they turned their angry faces to an even angrier Akane. "We've lost our base..." Akane continued in a deceptively soft voice, "I may have lost my niece, my sister may have lost her daughter, HER DAUGHTER!" Akane pointed to her sister, who still failed to budge from her position, or acknowledge the others.  
  
"We have ENOUGH problems withOUT you guys at each OTHER'S THROATS!!!"  
  
"And how is it we plann'n on solving these problems, chica?" Rictor enquired with an acidic tone, "We ain't got no backup, we don't even have a ride out here. We don't have a chance in Hell, much less in the Warhorse's kingdom!"  
  
"Your defeatist attitude is counter-productive," Magneto interjected, being the last to arrive at the rendevous, but catching enough of the arguments. "Even if we are at dire straits, it does not avail us to give up entirely."  
  
"Well, if you got an idea, we better hear it soon," Domino quipped, "With all the ruckus we just made with Herbie's little light show, Wolverine playing percussion with the pinetrees, and Akane's little tempertantrum, they should be swarming all over this area pretty soon."  
  
"Noooo..." Spiderman replied in a drawn out tone, "I'm not even getting anymore than the regular tingle of my spidersense with being so close to Horsie's domain. It's like they're not even coming after us..."  
  
"It doesn't make sense," Akane voiced, after ceasing her glare at Domino, "They KNEW we were coming. Someone sabotaged our ship..." At that, she stopped, and looked at everyone availible with narrow-eyed suspicion, "Where's Shampoo?"  
  
"We got separated during the fight," Wolverine answered, "Her and Ranma are missing." Logan didn't miss the barest flinch Akane gave.  
  
"Hopefully, hopefully she's able to watch over Ranma," Akane replied, quietly, before turning to Crossbones, "You... I think you have a great deal to answer for, first."  
  
"He didn't do it," Nabiki stated in a voice barely above a whisper. For the first time since she had seen the badly damaged blackbird which had been set to retreat in case of discovery by anyone other than X-Men, she looked up to her teammates, those who had willingly looked to her for leadership. Those she had failed completely.  
  
They were red and bloodshot from misery and the realization of what their servitude to her had lead the to, "He wouldn't be out here with us, if he were, nor would he bother defending his innocense."  
  
"Ya got that right, toots. If I'm guilty, I be revel'n 'n it!"  
  
The rest of the X-Men began to look at one another with suspicion, before Doom quelled their first notion. "None of us are Phalanx. Each of our readings are as they should be biologically."  
  
"Then, someone traded us in on their own free will?" Spiderman did a sweeping glance over everyone. Richtor and Sunspot shook their heads negatively, as Exodus didn't even bother to look up. Havok folded his arms, as if daring someone to accuse him, while Wolverine lit a cigar. Crossbones snorted, and turned away, then Domino reholstered her weapon, and stared back into Spiderman's eyes to prove herself that she had no guilt. Spiderman's eyes skipped over Dr. Doom and Magneto, knowing the two would be too proud to even consider bowing down before the despot that plagued them. Xian Pu had a whole tribe at stake, so selling them out would be too costly for her, while Herb had the same predicerment. Akane held too much rage and anger towards RAnma for her to even be a remote consideration.  
  
Spiderman snorted, "Hmph, of course, Tarou. Figures."  
  
Princess Herb's face tightened, as her eyes glossed over with tears held at bay. "You may say what you like, since he's dead, and unable to defend himself." With that, she wrapped her cloak tightly around her, and walked from the group.  
  
"She really did love him, didn't she?" Akane enquired rhetorically, as she watched the defeated gait of the once-proud and undefeatable Princess Herb. Even Akane had to admit, it was monumental the assistance Tarou provided the anguished cursed woman. It was inevitable they would grow close, once Herb accepted her fate.  
  
Nabiki stood up from her seat, and turned towards the direction of New York City. Her first steps were slow, before she paused. "Akane, I know my daughter is safe, please take care of her. And take this."  
  
She turned, and tossed Akane the beacon that Lillandra had given her, "Nabiki?"  
  
"I've already launched the signal, press it twice if you think it's too dangerous for the Shi'ar to commence an evacuation attempt at this time."  
  
"What... what are you intending?" Akane's voice was quiet, but demanding. Everyone else had remained silent, wanting to know her intentions as well.  
  
"I'm going to go kill Ranma, the one we brought here," she almost said mechanically, "If I find him."  
  
"WHAT?!?" Akane shouted, suddenly blinking into the front of her sister. Nabiki calmly brought her arm up, and gently pushed her barely resisting sister to the side.  
  
"It's best... it's best this way, than to leave him in the hands of our own monster."  
  
"And you intend to do this alone?" Doom enquired, barely hiding the subtle tone of his concern.  
  
Nabiki turned away, and continued towards the city, "I have no right to order you around, or even request your assistance in this." She bowed her head, and clenched her fists at her side, "As of now, I am no longer leading the X-Men. Choose who you want to take my place."  
  
"Sis, be reasonable!" Akane stated, once again in front of Nabiki, "There is NO WAY you'll even last getting into there by yourself!"  
  
Nabiki's eyes narrowed, "If it's the last thing I do, I will not allow the War Horse this last small victory." Nabiki gave Akane a faint smile, "You have my daughter to take care of, now... she seemed to love her aunt more than her mother, anyhow."  
  
A gust of wind blew the hair from Akane's face, revealing the scar she had recieved so long ago completely to Nabiki's view. It was nowhere near as horrible as the expression on her little sister's face, "I will not allow you to do this."  
  
"Step aside, she ain't gonna be gon' alone."  
  
All incredulous expressions turned to Crossbones.  
  
"I got a 'ting or two ta take up wit' Ol' Mr. Ed," he replied easily, while crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
"Hey, you're not counting me out of this, either!" Spiderman spoke up, "Wouldn't be all that gentlemanly if I let a woman do all the work. What would the boys back home... say?" His banter dropped off, when he reminded himself of the tragedy of headquarters.  
  
"I gave a vow that I would not let harm come to you," Victor Von Doom stated, "And Doom's word is more solumn than even the laws of physics."  
  
Nabiki turned towards several others speaking up on their own incentive. "NO!" She shouted vehemently, "The X-men's duty is to PROTECTING the masses from the Four Horsemen! You have a duty to those who still may yet be alive back home!"  
  
"Then," Magnus lescherr spoke, "Those in favor of disbanding the X-Men?"  
  
Nabiki looked towards the direction of the Empire State building, standing tallest among the destruction of New York City.  
________________________  
  
Ranma easily made it to the last few top floors, deciding that it would perhaps be one of the safest places to sequester himself until he saw an opportunity to escape. One particular door, unguarded, caught his eye.  
  
With his Umisenken cloak secure around him, he quickly made his way inside. As he passed through the threshold, he shuddered at the peculiar sensation that went through him, as if every cell in his body was examined inside out. There was a surprising amount of resistance as he passed through, but it was easily overcome.  
  
The unexpected force he had to make to enter caused him to lapse in his cloak of inconspicuousness, and the sight before him kept him too in shock to reinstate it. "Whoa, what's this all about?"  
  
The decadant decor reminded him of something out of a Chinese fairytale. Pillows adourned the floor which was lined with soft, thin carpeting. What little dim light that was supplied passed through curtains of silk that hung about like ribbons of a parade, giving a subtle mood of relaxed passion. Though, even with the almost sanguine atmosphere, the feeling of lonliness, desperation, and depression thickened the air.  
  
His eyes happened upon a woman, sitting at a vanity, slowly brushing her brilliant chestnut hair that came down to her waist, laying outside of her royal blue kimono. "Ranma." The woman's voice was expecting... No, Ranma realized, it was resigned, and familiar, once again older.  
  
"Kasumi?"  
  
The woman ceased brushing her hair, and turned. The pigtailed boy recognized it was indeed Kasumi, looking even more mature than he ever recalled her, though her uncannily youthful beauty was blemished by the timid sadness she wore.  
  
"You're... you're not Ranma... how did you get in here?"  
  
The boy in question's face scrunched up, after he got over the shock, "Of course I'm Ranma! Er..." He scratched the back of his head, nervously, "Well, from you're past, or something... I guess."  
  
"The past?" Kasumi replied, almost sounding as if she didn't comprehend what he had said.  
  
The pigtailed boy approached the woman, bringing himself into a light closer to her so that she could really see him. Her eyes lit up in realization, "But... how?"  
  
"It's a... long story." was the reply.  
  
The sudden movement somewhat startled Ranma, but years of training in the art easily allowed him to dodge. Kasumi brought the scissors she was now weilding back across in a wild swing, once again making a sloppy attempt at Ranma's chest. "HEY!!!"  
  
"IT'S YOUR FAULT!" Kasumi screamed, as she rushed at the pigtailed boy who was skipping backwards from the attacks, swinging ferally, "EVERYTHING! YOU DID ALL OF THIS!"  
  
The pigtailed boy ducked under one of her swings, and came around to her back. Kasumi didn't even know what had happened, as she felt her arms pinned in a gentle, but firm hug. Without the assistance of a weapon to vent her rage, her accusations continued. "YOU DESTROYED US ALL! YOU MONSTER! YOU'RE A MONSTER!!!"  
  
Ranma continued to hold Kasumi, as he sunk down to kneeling, causing Kasumi to drop onto her knees.  
  
"I-it's all y-your fault. E-e-everyth-thing..." Kasumi's cries lost their vehemance, replacing the missing passion with agonized sobs. "e-everything... monster..."  
  
Ranma continued to hold the woman who was like a mother and sister to him, not knowing if he should deny her words or not. 


	12. part 11

Age of the Warhorse  
The War Horse stood over the prone body of Onslaught, and kicked the mutant once again in the ribs, "Perhaps I didn't make myself clear the last time I pounded you flat... I AM IN CONTROL, YOU UNDERSTAND?!?"  
  
The mightly Onslaught slammed into the wall, crumbling through to the other side, He didn't actually feel any pain from the physical blows, but found that he was unable to access his own abilities, and rapidly came to the conclusion that Ranma had somehow prevented him access to them. That little realization managed to put a great deal of fear into him, suddenly understanding just how tight the reigns Apocolypse's War held over them all were. Onslaught wanted to scream in outrage at his impotence, lash out angrily at the miserable waste of a human that presumed himself above one of the pinnacles of sentience. Unfortunately, he didn't even have the capacity to speak.  
  
The War Horse growled, before turning away, "Thanks to you, it looks like I will have to move my plans sooner than I expected. I would hate having to be bored." The de-facto ruler of Apocolypse's empire turned to Pestilence, who had been standing by, patiently, as the enraged War throttled his fellow horseman, "Call back Rassovich, and my generals. It's time that I inform you all of our goals."  
  
"Don't you mean 'your' goals? Ranma?" Happosai enquired, while the black, featureless mask stretched over his face hid his expression.  
  
"Don't contradict me, Happosai," Ranma growled, causing even his once former master to baulk in a way his mask could not contain. "They will all return within two hours, I will not tolerate anyone being late, is that clear?"  
  
Pestilence shakily nodded, before vanishing into the shadows. Once he was gone, the War Horse gave a final glare to Onslaught, "Once this is over, you will answer for this." With that, he left the hall where Onslaught had been left.  
  
Slowly, ability returned to Onslaught, as he picked himself off of the ground, "A promise, whelp, I will be the one that passes your final sentence, and your execution..."  
_______________________  
  
"How?" Kasumi asked simply, as she sat on her knees across from the younger version of her tormenter.  
  
"They brought me here as some last ditch effort," Ranma replied, blushing slightly while keeping his eyes directly off of Kasumi's lavishly clothed form. The older woman noticed this, and smiled softly to herself; at least this Ranma appreciated her appearance, and his bashful manner set him far apart from her own reality's version.  
  
Kasumi's expression then turned puzzled, "I don't understand. They were going to kill you so that you don't become the War Horse?"  
  
"ACK! No! Nothing like that! I'm supposed to defeat him!" The last part was said in a slightly unsure tone that Kasumi didn't miss.  
  
"Oh... Ranma." The sympathy in her voice came easily, as she well knew the the improbability of such an act, "so, that's why you're here?"  
  
"Yeah, I kinda snuck in with everyone, and I think things went wrong. Now I'm stuck here..."  
  
"And you don't know what you can do, do you?" For the first time in almost a decade, Kasumi allowed her motherly instincts to take over, "I'm so sorry." She folded him into a comforting hug, as if he were her own child, "It's alright, I'm sure we can get you safely away. It would be best if our Ranma never knew you were here..." Kasumi pulled Ranma away from her, and stared at him, "He doesn't know, right?"  
  
"No, I don't think he knows," Ranma replied. It was something he realised when he had seen the War Horse. He couldn't 'see' him, almost as if he were invisible to his battle senses. It took him a few moments to adjust to his counter-part's presense, and presumed it may have been because of their similar ki structures; almost like how you could not smell your own natural scent unless it was enhanced. He hoped it worked both ways.  
  
"Well, you can stay in here, until we find a way," Kasumi consoled, "This room only allows my husband inside," the older woman smirked, "I guess that would explain the reason you were able to enter."  
  
"Hus..." Ranma blinked, and turned to Kasumi with a pole-axed expression."  
  
Kasumi sighed, and stood up, before approaching her vanity mirror, "It was my father's last request, before Happosai killed him. On Ranma's honor, he would take care of his daughters, and allow the Saotome and Tendou lines be joined." Kasumi turned a cold stare towards Ranma, "Me, Akane, and Nabiki swore that even if our honor was destroyed, Ranma's would be forever lost, too." The eldest of the Tendou sisters looked away, "Besides, father had gone insane well before his decree. We couldn't hold the vows of a madman, even if he was our father."  
  
"He, he married you out of honor?" Ranma mused out loud, finding it difficult that such a monster would still hold honor in high regard.  
  
"Does that surprise you?" Kasumi enquired, "You always upheld your honor when it suited you, or when it wouldn't cause you complications." She stared intently at the younger Ranma, her expression hardened with resentment.  
  
None of this escaped Ranma, "Damn it! You're confusing me with him, just like everyone else has!"  
  
Kasumi tilted her head, and allowed her face to soften with the exposure of... pity, "Am I?"  
  
Ranma stared at Kasumi, uncomprehending, until what she was saying dawned on him. He gave the older woman a withering glare, before standing up, and walking to the exit.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
Ranma turned his head slightly back to Kasumi, "To put an end to this, one way or another. It may be too late to stop him... here... but I will stop all this."  
  
"What are you... you know you can't beat him, don't you?" Ranma's silence answered her question appropriately. "Ranma, you can't! Just stay here, wait with me, we'll find a way to get you out of here! My sisters will rescue you! They-"  
  
"How do you know they'll be coming again, Kasumi? How long have you been here, waiting for them to save you?" This time it was Kasumi's turn to remain silent. Ranma turned away, "I'm guessing you can't get outta here unless you're let out from the outside, right?"  
  
Kasumi nodded, and watched Ranma walk out the phasing field that shifted her own private quarters from the rest of the building, and level of reality.  
  
Once Ranma had exited, he turned back around, and placed his hand against the touch sensor pad, "Let her out of there, now."  
  
"[Spacial shifting field, disabled]"  
  
Ranma brought back his hand, balled it into a fist, and smashed it into the panel, before turning, and walking away, seeming to fade into the air as he did so.  
_____________________________  
  
"Even if we all are willing to die for this little excursion," Havok began, "It would be best if we didn't go in without a plan."  
  
Nabiki looked up, almost opened her mouth to speak, but held herself. With a downtrodden expression, she looked towards Dr. Doom. The former Latverian dictator caught her glance, but looked away, "Plan as you will, Doom has his own agenda to attend."  
  
"What?" Nabiki asked, shocked. She thought he would have been thrilled to take over the mantle of leader.  
  
Akane stepped in, "The plan is a simple one, we go in, make a lot of noise, and before they take us all out, cripple as much of the bastard's control as possible. If we get lucky, the few living will get Ranma, Shampoo, and themselves to safety."  
  
"Hmph, not bad," Wolverine commented, "Simple and sweet, with the added bonus that if we manage to crack through the War Horse's empire at least half-way, every super-powered yahoo with a beef against him will be all over it, once they get the word."  
  
"Like pirahna to the scent of blood," Domino simplified, while polishing her rifle.  
  
"Hmm, suicide mission's 're whut I live fer," Crossbones added, "But them always more fun when ya tak'n out de opposition wit' ja."  
  
"If your intention is to be brazen," Doom interjected, "Then it's best if your forces are concentrated. With the wealth of power among us, it would be difficult for them to even attempt to contain."  
  
"We got the mak'n for a hero sandwich, and a plan to boot. Just need to know when this is going down."  
  
"Some of us need to get some rest before we even consider attempting this," Akane answered, giving her sister a slight glance that went unnoticed, "As much as I want to hurry this, it would be for the best."  
  
"I guess at dawn it is, as my sister supplied," Nabiki summarized, before turning to Doom, "Can I talk to you, alone, please?"  
  
The rest watched the two disappear into the woods; a few puzzled, while others surprised, and a couple almost expecting. "Well, best we start setting up watch shifts," Wolverine supplied, breaking the odd silence.  
  
"Something you require of me?" Doom enquired in a formal tone, rather respectful to Nabiki.  
  
The woman turned away, before speaking, "Doom... Victor... of all of us, I know you will most likely escape alive..."  
  
Doom remained silent.  
  
"I'm... well aware of your feelings for me... and I can't say that I... fully... return them." Before any comment could be made, Nabiki turned on the former despot, "For that reason, I know I can trust you with my daughter."  
  
"I had made a pledge that no harm would befall you, and it will forever stand," Doom replied, in a level tone.  
  
"That's a promise you will not be able to keep," Nabiki stated solomnly, "You have your business to take care of, I have mine."  
  
"Your sister?"  
  
"Among others," Nabiki answered, cryptically, "But, in any case, that will probably put us in separate predicerments." With a sigh, Nabiki turned to look off towards New York City, "We may not always see eye to eye, but you were always among the most supportive." With a quirk of a smirk, Nabiki continued, "I mean, who would have thought the Great Victor Von Doom would even consider taking orders from... how did you once put it... 'an insolent, upstart, whelping sow' such as myself?"  
  
Doom's eyes narrowed, "You have an exellent memory..."  
  
"Words I don't think I could ever forget," Nabiki replied in a ghost of a smile. Her face turned solumn, once again, "If me, and Akane do not make it back, please take care of her."  
  
Doom nodded, "If it becomes necessity, she will always know safety. On this, Doom pledges his word."  
  
"Could you... take off your mask, for me?" Nabiki enquired, almost with a shaking voice.  
  
Doom's eyes widened a merest fraction, before narrowing again, "That is a request that Doom would never grant any being, and let live."  
  
Nabiki's face hardened, though behind it, she felt dejected. She didn't want to kiss an iron mask, nor would she.  
  
"Fine," she replied in a curt tone, before walking back to the encampment they made several miles away from the downed Blackbird, "We should return, and see if the others came up with anything else that could give us an edge..."  
  
Doom didn't turn around to follow Nabiki, instead, snorted, before closing his eyes, "It seems that I may potentially have two children to attend to in the future..." 


	13. part 12

Age of the Warhorse  
Each one of the Warhorse's command had their own varying reactions to the news their defacto leader had just presented to them. Due to recent insubordination by one of the other Horsemen of the Apocolypes, he had been forced to accellerate his actions. In doing so, he will invite war that would span beyond the cosmos.  
  
Some took the news with a certain foreboding, while others accepted it with malicious glee. Regardless of the spectrum of emotions garnered, there was one that was universal among all of them; anticipation.  
  
This battle, according to the Warhorse, is Apocolypse's Legacy, a true trial of the fittest, be they human, mutant, or extraterrestrial. They could almost picture the soft, milky stars in the night sky tainted with sanquine red of the fallen, the weak. To few of them it was a surprise the ambition being presented, but far from a shock. Their own world had gained the attention of the Shi'ar, along with other races in the cosmos, it was only their right to defend themselves, even if through pre-emptive strike.  
  
"We don't need to be worried about the... local annoyances, since they had been dealt with... prematurely," the Warhorse almost growled the final part of the comment, but kept his temper, "You will all be told of my plans later, once the situation has been fully accessed." The despot turned away from the gathered generals and Horsemen, looking out to the west from the balcony he stood on, "Oh, and, heh, please be hospitable to the guests we should have arriving soon. You may all leave now. Rassovich, brief Onslaught on what we went over in here. He's the LAST I would like to have to repeat myself to." The Russian nodded, and followed the rest of the group from the briefing room.  
  
The Warhorse continued to stand upon the balcony, staring off into where the sun shall appear in naught but a couple hours time. The dawning of a new day marked a new conflict, a great more battles and promise of beings pitting abilities and cunning against one another in a universal and unending cycle of destruction, ingenuity, and rebirth. That was the clarion of War.  
  
Smiling to himself, the Warhorse spoke to no one in particular, "Apocolypse, I hope you're glad with the way things are going... I know I am."  
___________________  
  
Ranma kept the thin silk curtain he had swiped from Kasumi's quarters wrapped tightly around himself, enfolding him in the Umisenken. He had no longer needed cloth for cloaking himself, but found that it greatly enhanced its effects. At this moment, he couldn't afford to be found wandering the building for his target.  
  
Over an three hours had passed, as he continued to scour every open room in the building, hoping his counterpart of this world hadn't gone to sleep, and locked himself away. As much as he found his current actions rather tedious, his grim realization of things kept his dicipline abundant, and his focus sharp. It was more than just helping those who depended on them, even if they made it clear that he wasn't to participate in their conflict, it was now his honor on the line; both in that reality, and his personal.  
  
The pigtailed martial artist continued, until several extremely powerful auras caught his attention, just down the way. He stopped, focusing on making his own body aura match the ambient aura of the area, while keeping his breathing steady, and not looking directly at whatever would emerge from the opening metal slide doors.  
  
Ranma had to withhold his gasp at the sight and feel of each one of those that stepped from the doors. Their aura, once no longer shielded by the metal door, was almost overwhelming when they were together. Instinctively, Ranma pulled himself closer to the wall, still remainin careful to hide his presence. Fortunately, it was something of a lost effort, as each one of them seemed preoccupied with something. There were almost several spats that started, but were quickly quelled by their collegues, though they all felt the tension of something on the horizon.  
  
Several passed by Ranma, unnoticing, though the pigtailed martial artist felt like he was about to lose control of the Umisenken, as the unbridled malice radiating from the one with the seemingly death's head face and crawling, blood red skin that seemed to slither like gore-encrested maggots.  
  
The reality-displace martial artist noticed the room they had left still had its doors remaining open, and quickly ventured into it.  
  
The Warhorse felt the presence of someone trying not to be noticed, as if in his deceased father's ingenious, though flawed, Umisenken techinique. It wasn't Akane, since she had began using the enhanced version of it, and he couldn't think of anyone else that would have knowledge of it, exept for ghosts.  
  
Ranma saw him, standing and looking out into the night sky. Apparently oblivious to his presence.  
  
"Whoever you are, you may as well drop the cloak. I know you're here."  
  
Unfortunately, English wasn't one of the time-displace martial artist's best languages. Instead of following directions he couldn't understand, he readied himself for a preemptive strike. If he could take him by surprise, he would have the advantage. Of course, it would have been nice to know who he was talking to.  
  
"This is it..." Ranma crouched, bracing himself to go onto the offensive, just before feeling his cloth cloak ripped from his person, "Wha?"  
  
"What...?"  
  
The pigtailed martial artist found his bewildered stare being mirrored, albeit older. The younger's shock managed to wear off faster, as he rushed into attack, and finding himself easily restrained by one of the simpler techniques from his father's Umisenken form.  
  
The older Ranma held his younger counterpart in the air, tied up within the silk curtain he had wrapped around him, "This... is an unexpected surprise..."  
  
Ranma growled, "Lemme go, and you'll find a lot more'a them!"  
  
"I... I'm having trouble reading your ki," The Warhorse's eyes narrowed, as he held Ranma closer to his face, "You're me, aren't you?"  
  
"I'M NOT YOU, YOU JERK! I AIN'T ANYTHING LIKE YOU!"  
  
Barely containing his laugh, the Warhorse dropped his bound bundle to the ground, "Ah, I remember when I was once that... idealistic. Kind of refreshing."  
  
Finally finding the cloth no longer being charged with ki to keep it strong, Ranma ripped it from himself, before bracing into a defensive stance. "So, what is it, they thought they could bring you back from the past, and kill you before you became me. I was never told about you... but I'm pretty sure that the X-Men were responcible for your presence..."  
  
"There's no way I'm ever going to become a bastard like you!" Ranma seethed, but didn't make any motion to move from his guard.  
  
"Do you honestly think I originally intended to be some overbearing scourge of the world?" The Warhorse replied in a jovial tone.  
  
Ranma didn't know how to answer the question, and chose to not reply. The Warhorse turned his back to Ranma, causing the pigtailed martial artist to almost baulk at the audacity. "I guess I can explain a few things to you, you probably won't be going anywhere for a while, I would imagine. In fact, you may even consider yourself a guest."  
  
"You mean a prisoner, like Kasumi," Ranma accused, dropping his stance, knowing full well that he wasn't going to attack his older until he felt a full advantage.  
  
"You are a guest, free to come and go as you want," the Warhorse stated factually, before turning to his younger with a smirk, "Although, I wouldn't really suggest it. There are a few people around here who bear me more than a little animosity, and would fawn over the opportunity to do away with me, in any shape or form..."  
  
"So, what do you want with me?" Ranma asked, guardedly, taking a step back.  
  
"What did you want with me?" was his answer.  
  
"First, if you really are me, I wanna know why?"  
  
The elder tilted his head in consideration. He figured the knowledge would be too dangerous for his younger to take back with him, then again, his whole presence in this time era was already a dire taint to the sanctity of his desired reality. With that thought, he decided that his younger would have to unfortunately end up with amnesia, before he had to be sent home to fulfill his destiny.  
  
"Why?" The Warhorse's voice held humor within it, "Because, it's what I felt needed to be done."  
  
"I haven't seen all of it, but I know you'be practically destroyed this world, ruined everyone's lives.. and you did it just because you *felt* like it?"  
  
At the younger's incredulous accusation, the Warhorse laughed. "That's one way of putting it, I guess. Come with me."  
  
Hesitantly, Ranma walked behind his older counterpart, ready to bolt of he felt so much of a trickle of danger. At the moment though, he almost felt as if he were completely safe; he had to wonder if the Warhorse was intending that.  
  
"Look out there," he pointed to the dark horizon, barely becoming lit with the first rays of dawn, the dim street lights, and the tiny bonfires that scattered across the landscape of broken monuments to an age brought to its knees. "This was the fate of the world foretold for centuries. A fate that has been repeated over and over, throught eons, with the Mayan Empire, the Roman Empire..." He smiled to himself. Ranma felt himself becoming unbelievably angry; he was *congradulating* himself! "...and now, all world empires at once. Just let me know if I'm going too fast for you."  
  
"You're a monster, pure and simple!" Ranma spat with no little distaste and disgust, "There is nothing alike in us!"  
  
"So, you actually came here to see if I really was you, hoping to counter the accusations you no doubt suffered since your arrival. By the way, you will have to tell me how they managed to bring you here, some time." Seeing the boy's mood grow even more dire, the elder sighed, "If you must know, I didn't... become this way on my own occord."  
  
Ranma blinked, "What do you mean?"  
  
"I'm pretty sure you heard of the challenge that lead to this all, right?" Ranma nodded his head, though he didn't know about the challenge, he had been explained the circumstances of his return after it. "Apocolypse, he had apparently heard about my... about our exploits, and our abilities. He was impressed that we had managed to kill a godling, a being even he admitted he would not test if unnecessary."  
  
"I didn't kill Saffron," Rana replied hotly.  
  
"Ah, you cling to the believe that since he was reborn, we didn't murder him?" Before the question could be answered, he waived it off, "Apocolypse had us pegged from the start, the whole challenge was nothing more than a farce to test us against a being of 'true power'..." the Warhorse scoffed, "His power availed him nothing, when he lay slowly bleeding to death at my feet so few years ago. But I digress, at the climax of our fight, he forced me to channel more power than I really knew I could be capable of back then, opening my chi channels far beyond what you could imagine. I nearly was destroyed because of it, but I survived. He deemed me one of the fit."  
  
"So, you hold this Apocolypse jerk in some high regard? For turning you into some freak?"  
  
The elder snorted, "He did nothing to me exept give me what I asked for. Something you know you would never... ever... turn down if offered to you."  
  
"And what's that? A cure to my curse?" Ranma baited his elder counterpart; if it was truly him, he would have come to terms with his curse long ago, and certainly wouldn't have jumped at the opportunity for a cure if it cost him his soul.  
  
"Don't be stupid, by that time, we didn't all that much care about the curse. No, Apocolypse gave me knowledge of martial arts techniques, battle stratagies, and the capacity to initiate them. With all that, it was only apt that he made me the Horseman of War."  
  
"What's all this horseman crap?"  
  
"Yes, we weren't much into western religious studies, were we? That's something we really should have rectified during our youth."  
  
"Get to the point!" Ranma glared, really not in the mood for small talk.  
  
"Quite frankly, he *did* make us what we are today... but I wouldn't have it any other way." The sinister grin across his face set Ranma quickly into stance.  
  
"Now what makes you think I'm going to do the same thing you did, now that I know about it?"  
  
The Warhorse chuckled, and started to reply, before a large explosion sounded, off to the west, "Ah, more compan-"  
  
Almost as if he had teleported, the Warhorse was on the opposite side of the room, as Ranma pulled his fist from the floor that his elder had once been standing in.  
  
The Warhorse frowned, "So, you still think you can change your destiny?"  
  
"If it leads to this, I would rather die fighting it than let this come to be," Ranma spat, bringing himself to stand, while glaring in almost seething, defiant rage, "Ranma Saotome, the REAL Ranma Saotome, wouldn't let something this horrible come to be. and the REAL Ranma Saotome is gonna make you PAY!"  
  
The smile from the Warhorse was far from comforting, "So you say..." Both stood, facing off to one another; Ranma in an aggressive Chinese Kempo stance, while the Warhorse stood almost in casual defiance, while over the balcony beyond them, the trail of immense destruction and energy made a steady beeline for the Empire State Building. The citadel, the very cradle of the Age of the Warhorse... 


	14. Finale & Eplilogue

Ranma/ X-Men  
Age of the Warhorse  
finale  
A dome of unstoppable might mowed down the resisting soldiers of the awesome empire that was the Warhorse's. Willing to sacrifice their lives and more for the sake of the empire, the fayadeen soldiers strained past their best in order to arrest the trek of amazing power that was taking a direct path to the Empire State Building, the Citadel of their empire.  
  
They were told to expect confrontation. They were told that it would be heavy, spurred from desperation, once those who were seeking to face them realized that all their plans had been for naught. They were told that they probably wouldn't be able to defeat them outright. That was where their information was false...  
  
There was not even a possibility of even slowing them down, what so ever.  
  
Both Magneto and Exodus used their combined might to create an energy field that was neigh impenetrable to outside energy forces; anything stronger than their wills would provide an exeption, but such exeptions did not exist. As Richtor provided the distraction via his awesome power of manifesting seismic activity, shaking the footing of the Warhorse's troops; Domino, Nabiki, and Akane provided the 'light' offensive blasts that picked off individual soldiers, much like a lawn mower would pick off individual blades of grass.  
  
Providing the 'heavy' firepower was Doom, Princess Herb, and Havoc; concentrating their own barrages against heavier artillary aimed in their direction from as far as a mile away. Finally, completing irresistable and untouchable force; Wolverine, Spiderman, and Crossbones handled any that came within proximity of their energy protective dome, ensuring the gunners were never distracted, and always had a clear shot.  
  
Such a massive symphony of power displayed, but it well remained finely orchestrated. Not a note out of place, an instrument out of tune, with every iota of their hearts and souls poured into the rigorous battle they made look almost effortless.  
  
That was the hallmark of the X-Men. And as they believed themselves to be the last of Xavier's dynasty, they would live up to the reputation, until the last one's dying, harrowing breath.  
  
"NABIKI! SIX 'O CLOCK ON SPIDERMAN!" Domino shouted out, alerting their once-leader to clear some flank for the wall-crawler. The direct headshot was nothing that the soldier's armored helmet could contend with, as the weapon of origin was designed by both Doom and Forge.   
  
Directly to her left, Wolverine's adamantium razor sharp claws severed another soldier nearly in half, leaving him unable to continue resistance. "Got another mile to cover, and we ain't seen any of the big guns, yet!"  
  
"Lucky break?" Akane asked, casually taking time to put her hair back to cover the left side of her face, as she launched another vacuum blade that anniallated a virtual platoon flanking them, "Maybe we caught them unprepared? Most of his generals and horsemen were supposed to be away, after all."  
  
"No, he knew we would do something like this," Nabiki countered, "plus, something else spooked him. I want to know what that was, and use it against him in the most painful way, possible."  
  
"Hey, bosslady, thought you ain't bei'n da head no more?" Crossbones enquired, single-handedly snapping the neck of two fayadeen soldiers with a lariat forearm.  
  
"Indeed, he was rather enraged that our own headquarters had been attacked" Exodus commented, deciding to take a few shots at surrounding soldiers, himself, while still maintaining his part of the energy negating dome.  
  
"Yeah, he would have us down on the ropes," Domino shouted between her strafing fire, "Why would he be so down on us being no issue to him anymore?"  
  
Anybody willing to give an answer stopped short before the could, almost instictively turning to Nabiki. The ex-leader's eyes narrowed, as her own already business-like demeanor became harder, and even colder. It was also noted that she started firing faster, and her aim became frighteningly more accurate.  
  
"Hmm, so she knows, eh?" Wolverine commented, as he interlaced his claws between one soldier's intestines.  
  
"Hurry up and get us in there," Nabiki simply stated, in an angry voice. Their plan was simplistic in nature, possibly even finding its inspiration in nature itself. Penetrate, then infect, like a virus throught an organism. Each of them didn't think they would ever survive this encounter, in fact, it was doubtful if any of them intended to. They were to continue fighting, even after completing their individual agendas, until either they, or more improbably, the empire, had fallen. All they needed to do first, was reach their targeted 'organism'; the Empire State Building.  
  
And may whatever higher power that exists have mercy on those who fall into their way...  
___________________________  
  
"Heavy disturbance down below in the Cradle of the War Horse's Empire!" One of the helmsmen commented, gaining a feral smile from the governing head of the Shi'Ar Imperial Army.  
  
She had no intention of upholding the bargain she had made, for such a wiley enemy of her own beloved empire, meaning, she was the one that deserved to rule, he was indeed either desperately concerned, or overreaching his grasp. She was being presented with the opportunity to not only double-cross the Warhorse, but to asurp her own sister's crown through simple popularity. Such a beautiful win situation, she foresaw.  
  
"Position the head fleet directly over it," Deathbird commanded. "Let us await the results of whatever conflict is being initiated, and then we shall act."  
  
Of course, whoever be the victor, it didn't matter. The planet that provided a threat to the Shi'Ar would most likely be no more.  
___________________________  
  
Ranma urgently attempted to trade blows against the Warhorse, but found his task already an impossibly steep incline. His opponent matched every strike made for him with a guard that bordered on unreality. the greater threat to Ranma's determination was the easy, victorious smile the Warhorse wore. It was one he knew he had also donned, when a battle was going his way, and the victor already apparent.  
  
No, there was something more in it. There was a hint of a greater battle being fought, and the small one he was currently within was of no consequence.  
  
Spurred on by his counterpart's arrogance, the pigtailed martial artist grit his teeth, and pushed harder. Nonetheless, his efforts met with the same consequences.  
  
"Heh, I never realized how incessant I was when I was younger," the Warhorse commented rather cavalierly, as he suddenly snagged one of Ranma's arms, and precariously tossed him to the side.  
  
Unable to gain any leverage, the younger crashed into the wall, and slumped down. For the initial trade-off, he already felt as if he had gone a whole match against his own Prince Herb.  
  
"As much as you may hate it, this is your future," the elder Ranma stated, folding his arms behind his back. "You cannot change it, nor will I let you."  
  
"Like Hell I'm gonna let all this come to pass!" Ranma proclaimed, finding the energy within his will to go more than ten rounds against his past greatest opponents.  
  
The Warhorse sneered, finding distaste in his younger's optimism, "And how do you intend to hold that claim?"  
  
With a stern expression, Ranma braced himself into stance. "You may know everything in martial arts that there is, but there's one that even you will succomb to..."  
  
The Warhorse twisted his nose, before smirking, "There is little that I do not know of martial arts. What would an upstart version of me have to show that I wouldn't already know?"  
  
Ranma continued in a superior and solumn tone, "Behold, a technique so potent, that the entire village of the Neiichizu were left in amazement..."  
  
Slowly, the arrogant smirk fell from the Warhorse's face, as he subtly shifted into a hidden stance. As much as he knew his counterpart was bluffing, he refused to take the chance, "Show me this technique..."  
  
With a deadly smirk, Ranma went into a forward horsemount stance, and swung his arms in a wide circle before him, before bringing his hands cupped together, and down to his side. Ranma's battle aura flared, as he began to emit a low, gutteral hum that resonated from deep within him. At the display, the Warhorse shifted into a more visible defensive stance, just in time for his opponent...  
  
to turn tail, and run.  
  
Precious seconds passed, as the Warhorse remained blinking in confusion and dumbfoundment, before his expression twisted into resigned irritation. "That was one technique I had sincerely forgot about..."  
  
With that, he gave chase, very interested in catching his younger, and expressing his annoyance at the Saotome Secret Technique...  
___________________________  
  
"UP AHEAD!"  
  
No one needed to draw their attention to the towering monument of the US's former might, now standing as a ward to those who would defy the rule of the Warhorse. Of course, that wasn't what Domino intended to warn them about.  
  
"Heh," Wolverine chuckled, scraping his claws together, "I was wondering when the heavy artillary was gonna be brought out.  
  
"This isn't a joking matter, Logan," Herb stated in a stern voice, "Eliminate them, at all possible, and attempt to survive to complete your own agenda." With that, Herb flew from the protective field, moving to intercept the legion of the Warhorse's most elite.  
  
"HERB! NO!" Nabiki swore, before shouting out orders which came naturally. "EVERYONE! TRY TO STAY CLOSE UNTIL WE'RE AT THE DOORS!"  
  
Both Akane and Wolverine gave one another a glance, before Akane seemed to vanish, and Wolverine replied to Nabiki's command, "Sorry, former boss-lady, but I see my dance partner up ahead..." With that, he broke off from the group.  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Nabiki shouted in fustration, before a pair of arms wrapped around her, and a hand silenced her.  
  
"Listen, Sis," Akane stated in a quiet voice, after pressing her sister's pressure point for calming, "You're letting your judgement get clouded. Whatever you figured out about Ranma, it's getting to you."  
  
Nabiki had stopped struggling, before she noticed that her and Akane were being completely ignored. The elder sister motioned the other to release her mouth, "Cloaking both of us in the Umisenken?"  
  
Akane continued to hold onto Nabiki, and nodded, "We'll lose too many too soon if we attempt a direct confrontation with the Warhorse's Alphas. I'm going in for Kasumi, and you're going after Ranma, those are more important than deathwishes."  
  
At that, Nabiki nodded, resignedly, "Take me inside." Unbeknownst to both of them, as several had seen Akane and Nabiki vanish from sight, the two went largly ignored, favoring to attack the more powerful members of what was left of the once Mighty X-Men, two had focused a keen intrest on the sisters, and chose to ignore the larger battle in favor of interception.  
___________________________  
  
"CARRRRNNNNAAAAGGGGEEEEE!!!!" Like the night swallows the cheerful days light, Spiderman's personality was once again obsorbed by the bestial aspect of all humanity, manifesting itself as the creature of his nam de gurrere. Akane had mentioned that it was very much similar to the cat fist persona that used to envelope Ranma with his fear of cats. Though the concept was similar, there was a distinct difference between the personalities. Whereas the cat was benevolent, only returning harm as it was delt, the spider only lived to hunt and destroy one thing, the monstrosity that swam with blood red flesh and ebon black darkness; the one that always wore the greeting smile of death, and stank infinitely of it.  
  
"Ah, Petey! You know how much I've missed ya?" If anything, Carnage looked disappointed at the lack of a verbal responce, "What'samatter? Somebody cut out your tongue? I always did think you talked too much!"  
  
The spider landed in a crouch before its nemesis. even through wide lenses of the mask, the expression of sheer rage was heartfelt. It only took a nanosecond to recover from its landing, and moving with a speed that made alpha-mutant speeders somewhat envy, the Spider laid into the General of Apocolypse.  
  
The deaths-head face of Carnage contorted with the blow, staggering him. As a second blow knocked Carnage sideways, he launched a barrage of skewering spears, formed of his own mass. As the creature did so, its face changed to one of intimate fimiliarity, "HONESTLY, Peter, is this any way to treat your Ex-wife?"  
  
An inhuman scream of rage was the reply, as the Spider nimbly dodged the projectiles.  
___________________________  
  
Omega Red, Famine of the Four Horsemen of Apocolypse, stood upon a nearby rooftop, his arms held folded as he observed the battle. He wasn't concerned with what went on below, in fact, he cared little of even the outcome. He had his cure for controlling his abilities, he had his own autonamy, the only thing he cared for, was settling with an old 'friend'.  
  
"I am please you failed to keep me in waiting, Tovarish," the Russian replied, not even turning from observing the battle below.  
  
"Well, Ruskie, I ain't for lett'n ladies or kills have to put everything on hold for just me."  
  
Omega Red nodded, "So, shall we begin?" he finally turned to face Wolverine.  
  
"Anytime you are, bud," Wolverine flickered his claws in and out in taunt, before crouching low in a feral stance. Arkady Rossovich grinned, and unleashed the enhanced version of his death aura, immidiately setting it to berate the limits of Wolverine's own mutant healing factor.  
___________________________  
  
"You think running will allow you to escape destiny?" the Warhorse enquired stolling down the hallroom where he tracked his dobbleganger to, "I will ensure all this comes to pass, and you will do as needed."  
  
The Warhorse knew that Ranma wasn't using the Umisenken any longer, since they both knew they couldn't detect each other. The despot smiled to himself, it has been a while since he was in a game of hide and seek.  
  
Ranma hung from the ceiling, keeping his mind clear of any thoughts, unlike the constant almost audible "ignore me" thought of the Umisenken. Just as his opponent walked under him, he quietly released himself, and angled to cut wind resistance.  
  
Even the subtle shift in the air alerted the Warhorse to what was above, as he easily stepped away from the descending fist. Undaunted, Ranma quickly recovered, and went on the offensive, "WHY! WHY DO YOU WANT ALL THIS?"  
  
"Because it's my way, pure and simple." the Warhorse replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.  
  
"NO IT ISN'T!!!" Ranma shouted, putting the heat on. "THIS PLACE IS WRECKED TO HELL! WHY WOULD YOU WANT THAT?!?"  
  
With a simple backhand, Ranma was launched away, "Why? It's the way of nature. It is one of the prime laws of the universe, Survival of the fittest."  
___________________________  
  
Within the confine and the shadows of the Empire State building, Akane released her sister. Nabiki turned and nodded, before they both broke off in seperate directions. Akane once again set to scour the whole building, estimating it would take her less than fifteen minutes to do so. She vowed, no matter what, she was not going to leave her sister, if she still lived, within the thrall of their pledged enemy.  
  
Nabiki lacked her sister's abilities of the Umisenken, but had trained diligently with the world's greatest in the art of stealth for several years. The few guards that had remained in the building had been oblivious to her presence, allowing her free reign to about wherever she chose.  
  
The ex-leader of the X-Men had a single goal that required that freedom. She was to find Ranma, and either rescue him, or... save him from fate. She wasn't completely sure if the pigtailed martial artist had been discovered, knowing how resourceful he could be, in both past and present, and tipping the Warhorse off to his presence if he wasn't already aware was not an idea Nabiki cared to address. With that in mind, she decided to search for the possibility of another having been captured.  
  
Shampoo had not made it out during the battle, and her whereabouts were unknown. Though the Amazon would choose death over imprisonment, the Warhorse would not allow her that option. Of course, Shampoo was herself no slouch in stealth, and she may be free of captivity, but the risk of The Horseman of War discovering her presence was much less of a threat.  
  
Almost seeming to melt from the shadows, Nabiki latched onto a lone guard from behind, quickly accessing pressure points taught to her by Dr. Tofu that was availible through the armor the soldier wore. Once it was determined he could not resist, Nabiki faded back into the thin darkness like a specter.  
  
"Where are your prisoners being held?" Nabiki demanded. She knew, that without hesitation, the guard would answer all her questions from the lusting pressure point she activated on him. He would sooner tear out his own heart than resist any wish of her's.  
  
"Th-they're not held here, but on imprisonment island... where the old Statue of Apocolypse use to stand..." the guard answered, somewhat drunkenly.  
  
Nabiki groaned, realizing she hadn't considered the option that Shampoo could have been moved elsewhere. "Xian Pu, the leader of the Neichizuu Amazons, whas she taken there?"  
  
"He wouldn't know, even if I was captive."  
  
"XIAN PU!" Nabiki cried out, both surprised and happy to hear the voice of her closest friend. Her joy was short lived, as she turned around, and found the Chinese woman standing in a neutral stance, with black bonbori held in each hand against her sides. What concerned the Tendou sister the most, was the solumn expression the other woman wore, "What...?"  
  
"I'm afraid I cannot let you continue," Xian Pu decreed, bringing her bonbori up for stance.  
___________________________  
  
Akane almost growled in fustration, nearly overwhelming her estatic joy, as she caught the scent of her sister nearby. The distinctive perfume Kasumi, Nabiki, and Akane chose to wear, almost as if a family trademark, hung loosely in the air. It was specifically brewed for them by the Amazons, an alerting to any Amazon nearby that a kinswoman was near, and possibly needed rescuing. Akane had been concerned that Kasumi would no longer have anymore, as she was imprisoned for so long.  
  
Her fustration came from the fact that it lead her to a room that she could not access during her previous scouring the night prior, and chose to move ahead instead of waste time when there was so much more ground to cover. now, the control panel lay destroyed against the wall, and the entrance was clearly availible.  
  
"Kasumi?" Akane hesitantly entered the threshold, wary that it may have been a trap.  
  
Silence reigned in the room for several moments, before a hesitant, very hopeful voice answered in reply, "A... Akane?"  
  
It was her, after so many years, it was her. "It's me... it's me Akane, Kasumi." Akane's voice almost cracked with overwhelming emotion.  
  
"AKANE!!!" The younger woman was extremely surprised, not even seeing where her sister had come from, to find herself in the midst of a nearly bone-crushing hug. "AKANE! You really came! I never hoped, I... Ranma! Ranma's here too! The Ranma from the past! We..."  
  
"Crushing... pain..."  
  
"Ah, oh my!" Akane wheezed in a deep breath, before giving her sister a wry smile.  
  
"You've definitely kept in shape, Sis." Kasumi flushed in slight embarrasment for her enthuesiasm. "Yeah," Akane continued after a moment, "Nabiki's taking care of that right now." The younger woman embraced her older sister in a softer hug that nonetheless eminated the same amount of love and caring she had just recieved, "We've both missed you."  
  
Kasumi cried against Akane's shoulder, as her sister gently rubbed the small of her back, "I... I missed you too..."  
  
"Well, isn't this touching?"  
  
Both girls looked up to the dreadingly familiar voice. "No...."  
  
Akane already had no love for the newcomer, but the look of sheer fright, and the terror spoken softly in Kasumi's voice brought her hate to levels only rivaled by her hate for the man who took her left eye.  
  
"Happosai..."  
  
"That's Pestilence to you, girl," The Horseman retorted, as he blocked the exit of the room with his arms folded.  
___________________________  
  
After creatively extracting info from one of Generals of the Warhorse, Black Tom, he believed the coward's name to be, Victor Von Doom regally strolled within the confines of the Warhorse's stronghold in search for his quarry. He believed he was in the vicinity finally.  
  
"You seem lost, former despot."  
  
"I am well aware of my location, Onslaught," Doom retorted, turning sideways to find the beheomoth mutant standing off to the side.  
  
If he could sneer, it would be evident in his expression, "I'm afraid your favored playmate, the midget lapdog of the Warhorse, is not present," Onslaught retorted with a haughty, thundering tone.  
  
"Just as well," Doom replied, "I was in search of you, in actuality..."  
___________________________  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?" Nabiki shouted, as she once again dodged a strike from her best friend. The former leader of the X-Men came to kneeling from a roll, and aimed her gun once again at Shampoo. Try as she might, she could not bring herself to fire. Regardless, even as Shampoo was severely pulling her blows, the betrayal stung far worse than anything since Ranma's ascension to the Warhorse.  
  
"I have to stop you, I'm sorry," Shampoo replied in a sad voice, while making no further move to dodge out of the way of Nabiki's aim.  
  
"Xian Pu... Shampoo, whatever he's done to you, fight it," Nabiki pleaded, hoping to break whatever control the Warhorse may have over the other woman.  
  
If anything, Shampoo's expression grew sadder, "He hasn't done anything to me, Nabiki."  
  
At that, the other woman's eyes grew wide, before they became angry, "YOU! YOU BETRAYED US!" Nabiki screamed, before quickly coming to standing, and finding her finger a lot easier to tighten around the trigger of her gun.  
  
Shampoo stared back, unflinching, but obviously pained at the truthful accusation.  
  
At the silent acknowledgement of her guilt, Nabiki roared in rage, before unleashing a volley of blasts towards her once best friend. Shampoo suddenly blurred, evading Nabiki's sight  
___________________________  
  
"You're insane!" Ranma shouted out, as he backpedaled from the despot.  
  
"No, I'm just following my calling in life," the Warhorse retorted, "This is what we had been brought up to do, what we were made for, ever since we were taken on that training trip!"  
  
"I WAS NOT MADE TO BE A KILLER!" Ranma shouted, using his sudden burst of emotion to throw a mako takabisha at his opponent.  
  
The Warhorse snorted, and backhanded it away, "Not a killer, an instrument of war. It was just Apocolypse that opened our eyes to that. We were made purely for fighting, trained to be the best at war.  
  
"BUT THIS ALL WASN'T NECESSARY!"  
  
The Warhorse smirked, as he slowly approached his younger self, "Was it? Do you understand what it is like? To be the greatest weapon ever created, unneeded?" The smirk changed to a sneer, "Apocolypse attempted to take away my lot in life, by wiping all his enemies from the face of the earth. I rebelled, and destroyed my former master. Not that I'm not grateful for what he's done, but I couldn't let him continue with his plans..."  
  
At that, Ranma came to a startling realization, the same one Nabiki, when the last of the X-Men moved to storm the Empire State Building.  
  
"You're..."  
___________________________  
  
"You won't be leaving with Kasumi," Pestilence stated in a stern voice. "Thanks to you, I now have access to her at any time. Ranma had put an end to our own... rendevous when he installed the spacial shift barrier to her quarters..." The Horseman gave Kasumi a leer, causing the older woman to whimper, and hide behind her sister, "It's been too long, and you were always my favorite, "Kasumi."  
  
With what little defiance she could muster, Kasumi responded with venom, "You touch me, and Ranma would have your head!"  
  
The third Horseman of Apocolypse tilted his head in amusement, "What he wouldn't know, won't hurt him. Especially if, during your escape with Akane, you ended up... disposed of..."  
  
Akane attracted Pestilence's attention once again, "There is a great deal that I owe you, Happosai."  
  
Pestilence's frown was apparent under the cloth mask that completely hid his face, "Impudent. If Ranma hadn't ruined that once pretty little face of yours, I would relish teaching you respect." Akane shuddered, as the frown became a wide smile, "Then again, I guess that wouldn't matter if you were facing away, would it? You've grown into a fine body, girl."  
  
It was never that Akane was inferior to Ranma, or Xian Pu, or Ryoga, it was that in their youth, she was never trained in her personal strengths. Ranma's ability and fighting style was like the wind, fleeting, stinging, and relentless. Xian Pu was like the flow of water; fluid and uninhibited. Ryoga was as solid as the earth itself, unyeilding and assured. After the rise of Apocolypse, and the world took a turn for despair, Cologne insisted that Akane be trained in her true abilities among the Amazons; for a warrior, like a weapon, not honed to a fine edge, could only be weilded bluntly. Under the intense and unrelenting training of the Matriarch foremost knowledgeable in Akane's strength, the youngest Tendou sister discovered where her abilities lay.  
  
It was never openly apparent to her, but in her rage, she was able to repeatedly score hits against Ranma in her youth, and manifest a battle aura that rivaled Ranma or Ryoga's in much... much less time. Akane brought that same battle aura to flare, using the sheer hate she felt for Happosai; for him killing her father, for his part of the destruction of the world, for his desecration of her sister, and for the loss of honor to the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts.  
  
Akane's strength was sheer... unadulterated... power.  
  
"As the current master of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts," Akane replied in a cold, void-like voice that was enhanced by the roaring of the energy she was radiating, "It is my duty to punish those who practiced our school, and betrayed it's honor and principles... even if that practitioner was once the Grand Master."  
  
"Feh," Happosai snorted, removing his mask to reveal his youthfully handsome face, and flowing gold lockes, "I abandoned that miserable excuse for a school because it's 'students' corrupted it," Happosai unleashed his own battle aura, easily towering Akane's, "But if this is what you wish, so be it. Let us find out if my former school is strong enough to continue. SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST!"  
  
Kasumi wouldn't have been able to see them move, even if the collision of their battle auras hadn't expulged such a blinding light...  
___________________________  
  
The X-Men outside were at the greatest, their proudest, their most powerful. Even in the sheer numbers they faced, they pressed on like an unstoppable force of nature. The Generals of the Warhorse, the Alpha mutants that had chose to side with Apocolypse's Darwinish beliefs, and the lowly Fayadeen soldiers that were both recruited and manufactured to serve the empire, all gave pause, and baulked under the unrestrained fury of their small number of opponents.  
  
Unfortunately, even the mighty forces of nature would eventually falter.  
  
"You guys get the idea that we probably could have planned this better?" Domino enquired, using her ion knife to slice through the throat of one soldier that had gotten to close. Even her probability-altering powers that gave her the advantage of odds, was being pushed to it's limit.  
  
"If there was time to plan this well, I do not think the outcome would be any different," Magneto answered, splitting his concentration between the conversation, and slaughtering masses of soldiers with his magnetic powers.  
  
"AH!"  
  
"EXODUS!" Magneto cried out, before unleashing a magnetic pulse that relayed his rage. One of their most powerful had fallen, a friend to Eric Magnus Lescherr. Richtor had already been stopped previously, and Havoc was obviously using what little stored energy he had left.  
  
"We gett'n kinda thin hea'," Crossbones called out, his own concern severely evident.  
  
"WE CAN'T KEEP THIS UP!" Domino shouted out, finding her trigger finger becoming much more active to the point her weapon was close to overheating. As their morale shifted, it suddenly went downhill, as they saw, up ahead, still fresh for battle and waiting to participate; Juggernaught, Caliban, Lady Deathstrike, Iron Man, Archangel, Feral, and several other high powered Alpha-Mutants and meta-humans.  
  
"Well, if we're gonna lose, may as well be big," Domino stated with some misplaced mirth, just before...  
  
"BREAKING POINT ADVANCED: EARTH RUPTURE!!!"  
  
...a miracle occured.  
___________________________  
  
Omega Red's carbondatium coils moved like maddened anaconda, twisting a lashing at their intended victim. Wolverine furiously fought through them, every so often making it close enough to their welder to lash out and make telling blows. Unfortunately, as devestating as Wolverine's strikes were, Famine's Death Aura caused greater harm to the clawed mutant.  
  
After a furious clash, both broke apart to examine the damage to one another. "Wolverine, it seems as though you will not last much longer," Omega Red taunted, as he retracted his tendrils, and crossed his arms.  
  
The stout mutant was breathing hard, feeling the effects of prologned exposure to his opponent's presence, "Looks like you may be right, bub." Omega Red blinked, as Wolverine's expression grew into a deadly smile, "So how about we wrap this up quickly?" With that, Wolverine crossed his own claws together, and slashed them across one another, causing sparks to flare from their contact. his pupils dialated to pinpricks, as he tossed his head back and howled. He had willingly unleashed the beast within, his unrestrained animalistic fury.  
  
Omega Red's tendrils once again flailed in anticipation.  
___________________________  
  
"HOW COULD YOU? HOW COULD YOU SELL OUT YOUR OWN PEOPLE? THE WHOLE PLANET?!?"   
  
Being presented with an opportunity to explain herself, Shampoo took it with vehement passion, "I WAS TIRED! I HATED SEEING MY SISTERS DIE BECAUSE OF THIS! I *HATED* THE LOOK ON RAN RAN AND LIN LIN'S FACE, AS THEY WERE ABSORBED BY THE PHALANX!"  
  
Shampoo forcably calmed herself, "Do you know, how it feels to think you've failed your own people, and they still look up to you for guidance?" Shampoo gave a wry grin that didn't reach her eyes, "I'm sorry."  
  
Nabiki slowly strafed around the other woman, "There's more to this than that, isn't there? You would know that just trading sides wouldn't change any-..." For the third time that day, Nabiki came to a startling revelation, "Oh gods... you're still in love with him, aren't you?"  
  
Shampoo didn't directly answer, "He's still Ranma! If we could only reach him, make him understand..."  
  
"DAMN IT, XIAN PU!" Nabiki interrupted, shouting at her loudest, "DON'T YOU GET IT? HE DOESN'T WANT THIS WAR TO END! HE'S..."  
___________________________  
  
"...trying to keep this war going!" Ranma whispered, in frightened awe.  
  
The Warhorse smiled, "What can I say? I love my work! I didn't want the X-Men, nor the Avengers dealt with, as they provided a good amount of distraction. And with the impending war between me and the Shi'Ar, I'll be able to fight indefinitely! My own associate Deathbird should be making an attempt to betray me at any moment, of course. But that was expected, and planned for." The Warhorse's grin grew even wider.  
  
"YOU BASTARD!" No matter how useless Ranma knew intellectually it was, he launched himself into direct confrontation.  
  
Almost sighing in resignation, the Warhorse easily met with the impotent barrage.  
___________________________  
  
"And what is it you want with me, human," Onslaught enquired with distain.  
  
"You would say a partnership of sorts," Doom replied, "It's well known you distaste for the one that currently holds your reigns..." Onslaught's bearing became more menacing at the barb, "So, it came to my thoughts that I should assist you with your vendetta."  
  
"I have no need of another master," Onslaught growled.  
  
"Allow me to continue," Doom behooved, while remaining undaunted, "Before his death, Dr. Richards, with my assistance, researched a possibility of saving his son from you. Unfortunately, circumstances did not allow him to continue, but he made a request of me." Doom held out a small electronic device for Onslaught's viewing, "He created this, with what he had garnered. It was to be a device that would kill you, and his child along with it. He loathed the idea, but he would rather his son find peace in death, than eternal torment as a part of your being."  
  
"You intend to use that device on me?" Onslaught questioned, as he held his hand forward, allowing his energy to pour into his palm, "You would never get the chance."  
  
"Oh, that is no longer this device's intention," Doom stated, "My own genius, though almost rivaled by Reed Richards, was still superior. Instead of killing you and Richard's son..." Doom held the device firmly in his palm, ready to press the button to ignite it, "I intend to give you access your full power..." With that, Doom pulled the trigger.  
  
Onslaught eyes widened, before he roared in victory, as he felt the barriers he didn't know existed within him become unlocked...  
___________________________  
  
It was a battle that any martial artist would be left in awe for witnessing. Akane and Happosai traded blows that would shake the planet's surface on impact like a fault in the teutonic plates.  
  
Akane finally broke away, and launched an oversized vacuum blade at Happosai, intending to sever him in half. The projectile was easily countered by a similar one, and as they cancelled one another out, the third horseman of Apocolypse quickly moved in.  
  
Akane faded from sight, giving her a split second before Pestilence was able to track her down, and nailed him from the side with a side thrust kick.  
  
Happosai rebounded off the wall he had been hurled into, and delivered a powerful punch into Akane's guard, staggering her. As the Master of Anything Goes faltered, she praced her right hand against the ground, and thrust her left foot up into Happosai's gut, catching him unawares, and slamming him into the ceiling.  
  
She rolled out of the way, as he launched himself down towards her, slamming both feet into the ground she had just been against, and denting the metal floor.  
  
Once again, they were interlocked at one position, allowing Kasumi to see the blurs that were her sister and Happosai battle at a pace machine guns would envy. The longer the ordeal went on, the more frantic Kasumi became. The stakes of this battle were too high, too personal for her to contemplate, and if Happosai were to win...  
  
Kasumi's thoughts were broken off, as Pestilence finally landed a telling blow on Akane, catching her chin with a downward right cross. As Akane fell, she roared, slashing out with her left hand like a claw. It was her adaptation of the catfist, one worked out by her, Shampoo, and Cologne from an idea her father had actually coined. The only thing that had been missing from making it a potent technique, was supplied by Wolverine and Spiderman, as they had shown her how to unleash her own animalistic fury, making it more dangerous, more dependable than the original catfist ever was.  
  
Ki claws raked down across the right side of Happosai's youthful face, causing him to scream in outrage, and retaliate with a thunderclap that immidiately dazed Akane, as her sensitive ears were overwhelmed.  
  
"YOU!! YOU RUINED MY FACE!!!" Happosai bellowed, as he flipped backwards, and swat his arm out at a wide arc, forming another vacuum blade to sever Akane's head from her neck.  
  
Just as Akane was turning around to witness the projectile, Kasumi stepped in front of it with her arms wide. The older woman thought to herself, at least Happosai wouldn't get satisfaction from her, and Akane would at least have more of a chance to destroy the digusting troll.  
  
The vacuum blade sailed into her, with the access going beyond her sides. She blinked, realizing she was still alive, and then realized that Akane had put herself between the blade and Kasumi, using her back to intercept it. Kasumi looked down Akane's back, and saw the large, deep gash going across it. The only thing that kept her from being cut in half, was Akane using her own ki to buffer the blow.  
  
"Kasumi... why did you have to go an do that?" Akane asked with a very weak voice.  
  
"I-" Kasumi was cut off, as Akane forcefully pushed her away. Kasumi went sailing into the wall behind her, impacting with enough force to almost knock her unconcious. In her blurred vision and scoped hearing, Kasumi witnessed and hear the primal scream her sister emitted, as she spun around, and unleashed a dome of her energy... all of her energy at once.  
  
Happosai was caught flat-footed within the swirling tempest that was the zenith of Akane's rage.  
___________________________  
  
Shampoo baulked at the notion, though her expression showed that it wasn't something she hadn't already considered, "No, he... we can get him to stop, we..."  
  
"I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!" Nabiki brought her gun up, and fired again at Shampoo. Once again, it was dodged, and Nabiki now found herself disarmed, against the wall, and staring at the business end of one of Shampoo's bonbori.  
  
"Please, I don't want to hurt you," Shampoo pleaded, with the corners of her eyes beginning to tear.  
  
Nabiki closed her own eyes, and slid down the wall, as her emotions started to overwhelm her, "I trusted you, Shampoo."  
  
Shampoo had slowly squatted down in the pace of Nabiki's descent, "I never wanted to betray you. You truly were the best, and possibly the only friend I've ever truly had that I looked to as my equal."  
  
"Shampoo," Nabiki tried once more through her sobs to reach her once and best friend, "Don't do this..."  
  
Shampoo pulled Nabiki into a hug, "I'm sorry, but I have no choice..."  
  
"Then... neither do I," Nabiki whispered in Shampoo's ear.  
  
Surprised, Shampoo quickly pulled Nabiki away from her, checking to see if she had any hidden weapons visible, but Nabiki's hands remained flat and lifeless against the ground. Even if she wasn't armed, Shampoo could tell that Nabiki was about to be the victor. "Vhei xianpu szhi shou shehui pai`e ji zhe meiyou"  
  
The phrase Nabiki whispered was in an ancient Mandarin dialect that was somewhat remeniscent of the one spoken by the Neichiizu. She spoke it flawlessly, as she had been taught by Cologne, even in the hopes the deceased matriarch had that it would never come to use. Shampoo understood it, even if it was barely understandable for her.  
  
'For Xian Pu shall be the pariah no more.'  
  
As soon as the word hit Shampoo, her eyes went blank, as all her motor functions ceased. Lifelessly, she collapsed into Nabiki's arms, and the other woman gently laid the lavender haired woman down on her back, wondering if she was at least comfortable.  
  
"Your Great-Grandmother was hesitant to teach me that, and she hoped and prayed to your ancestors that it would never have to be used." Nabiki started explain, as she continued kneeling next to Shampoo, and stroked the comatose woman's hair. "Gods, how I wish I didn't have to do this to you. I don't even know if you'll snap out of it, I don't even know if you can hear me. But I'm sorry, I'm very, very sorry."  
  
Unable to bear what she had just done, Nabiki quickly ran away from the scene, retrieving her gun in the process. As she did so, she was unable to see one of her inquiries answered, as a lone tear rolled down Shampoo's cheek.  
___________________________  
  
The was only one definitive word for what Kasumi was witnessing. Several other descriptions came to mind, such as astonishing, beautiful, majestic... but nothing encaptured the sight more than the word 'brutal'.  
  
Akane remained kneeling within the dome of crimson and voilet-blue energy that swam around her like the mightest of hurricanes. Caught within it's torrentious winds, was the form of Pestilence, the third Horseman of Apocolypse.   
  
Akane's scream would last as long as she was able to expell the sheer amount of ki she was. The technique she was using was a final attack that would leave her nearly drained, but usually nowhere near the battered shape that whomever or whatever had become caught in it would be in.  
  
The Radical Swarm, as she had called it, was something she had intended for if she was ever alone with the Warhorse. It was a technique of her own devising that used every bit of emotion she could muster. Designed after the Roaring Tiger Bullet of Ryoga's, it most likely would cause adverse affects to the user, since it relied on her own pent up anger, fustration, desperation, and animosity towards everyone and everything that had hurt her, betrayed her, or left her. In the Age of the Warhorse, that was quite a bit she had managed to build up.  
  
Most thought Akane was naturally cold, only warming up to her sister and neice. Those that knew her most realized the change only came when she was ultimately betrayed by the only man she ever loved; causing her to seal her heart away for access to only a select few. That wasn't the whole truth. She intentionally locked it away, for fear of the boiling cacophany of negative emotion may rip it from her body, leaving a black core that would rival even Apocolypse's in evil.   
  
She never made an effort to purge the dark emotions, instead selecting to allow them to build, to fester, to grow like a ticking time bomb, a bomb she would only allow to detonate within the presence of War, the First Horseman of the Apocolypse. The third Horseman would have to suffice, considering her current condition.  
  
As her cry weakened, so did the ki dome, until finally both subsided. Akane would only allow herself to collapse, once the body of Happosai fell to the ground, unmoving.  
  
"AKANE!!!" Kasumi quickly rushed to her youngest sister's side, catching her before she fell flat on her face.  
  
"Is... is he?" Akane asked, barely able to keep her head straight in the dense fog of exhaustion.  
  
Kasumi gave a heated glare towards the unmoving creature, "I think so. He's so still..."  
  
Akane gave her dear sister a weak, barely formed smile, before she closed her eyes, and slumped forward. With sheer fright, it was then that Kasumi noticed how much the wide gash in her sister's back was flowing free of her life fluid.  
___________________________  
  
Ranma's guard suddenly became totally overwhelmed, as he suddenly found himself careening through a plaster wall, and into something heavy and metal. The Warhorse stepped through the hole Ranma's body created, and noted the sarcophagus that Ranma had knocked over, spilling out its contents.  
  
"Hmm, I'm pretty sure the Big A woulda been upset about you dumping his remains out," the Warhorse commented, "But he's not in a position to do anything about it, I guess."  
  
"This... this isn't... over," Ranma managed to wheeze out, taking a swaying stance, showing exactly how dazed he was.  
  
At the defiance, the Warhorse grew angry, and was suddenly in Ranma's face.  
  
"WILL..." a backhand across Ranma's right cheek, "...YOU..." a hook down across the left side of his face, "...RESISTING..." a left palm thrust into Ranma's forehead, jerking him straight up, "...ME?!?"  
  
The gut punch launched Ranma into another wall, this one concrete and steel reinforced. At that blow, Ranma slid down, barely able to breath.  
  
"Now," The Warhorse managed to calm himself down, while dusting himself off, "If you will, tell me how they brought you here, so that I can send you back... after thoroughly wiping your memory, of course..."  
  
The Warhorse blinked, finding himself now extremely impressed and ticked about his younger self's tenacity, as Ranma slowly picked himself up off the ground, using the wall to brace himself, "Stubborn moron..."  
  
With a sharp glint of defiance, Ranma replied in a steady voice, "If you want me to tell ya, you're gonna have to beat it outta me..."  
  
"If that's how you'll have it," The Warhorse decided he would make this as slow and painful as possible. In a brisque walk, he approached his younger, and let his fist fly. Summing up as much energy as possible, Ranma met him, keeping his back against the wall. Hundreds of blows traded became thousands, thousands became millions, and the count escalated, as Ranma attempted to best his elder, while the Warhorse casually, with cold, unamused indifference, attempted to force his younger to submit.  
  
Ranma did his best to parry the attacks against him, keeping his guard tight, as he looked for openings to retaliate. Every time he attempted to land a glow against the Warhorse, the opening he left was capitalized upon. Regardless, Ranma remained defiant, he would finish this. He no longer cared if the jewel thingy made a mistake or not, he no longer cared if no one knew this battle was taking place. It was no longer about clearing his honor, or what and how everyone thought of him.  
  
It was about putting an end to this atrocity. That's all. That was his single motivation, that was what drew his focus past the unbearable pain of ribs breaking, organs possibly rupturing, and the lightness of conciousness he was beginning to experience.  
  
Ranma refused to look at his opponent as his future self, knowing deep within that it would lie to his ultimate defeat. He was Ranma Saotome, not this... this imposter. Ranma coughed up some blood, but continued to trade blows at lighting speed; the roaring of the soundbarrier being broken consistantly with each punch shook the room like a rictor 5 quake. Ranma Saotome would not lose this fight, especially when it was so damn important.  
  
Finally, his physical strength was leaving him, but he refused to fall. Ranma Saotome NEEDED to win this fight.  
  
His vision became blurred with the concussion, the pain, and his stamina waining. And yet, he still focused on keeping his guard as sound as possible, while attempting to land a blow in his heated, determined fury.  
  
Ranma Saotome can't lose.  
  
His punches slowed down tremendously.  
  
Ranma Saotome WON'T lose.  
  
He hiccuped more blood.  
  
Ranma Saotome WILL WIN! It was simple as that.  
  
The Warhorse pulled his fist back from the blow that landed dead center of Ranma's chest, and caught his younger by the shoulder, holding him against the wall. "Well, that accomplished nothing for you," he said casually, getting barely an inch from his younger's face. "Even now, when you're completely beaten, I can see you still trying to resist. You're in not shape to give me the information I need, so before I knock you out, heal you, and strip the necessary information from your brain, do you have any requests?"  
  
"Y... yeah... j-just one..." Ranma managed to get out in a hoarse voice. With the teeming little bit of physical strength left, he sharply snapped his head up, revealing a deadly smile, "I wanna know how much this is gonna hurt..." With that, he jabbed his finger towards the center of the Warhorse's chest.  
  
It was easily intercepted with one hand, and the Warhorse idly wondered what his counterpart was attempting to do. It wasn't any technique he knew that would harm a person, it wasn't even anything similar to the breaking point technique. It was then he noticed, in that nano-second of thought, that the wind between them was picking up. A quick glance down towards Ranma's chest had shown the what was going on, evident by the reversed cold-ki spiral on his younger's chest...  
  
...beaten there by the Warhorse's own hands.  
  
The Warhorse would have laughed, truly impressed by the ingenuity of his younger, but with haste, he could not allow the miniscule Hiryuu Shoten Ha to have any affect, as it would be the last thing to break his opponent's will.  
  
With that, he quickly shifted his ki to his own chest, where the tip of the wind drill raced towards... proving to be his greatest mistake.  
  
His ki was still cold, and fed the hungry windbeast like a starving predator, leaving his own chest no longer defended by the energy. Ranma's own finger was still shooting a steady stream of hot-ki towards the Warhorse, angling it into the funnel, powering it from his end. And as the two identicle ki signatures wouldn't mix, it only added to the potency of the later to be dubbed, 'Roaring Dragon's Tooth'.  
  
Ranma was forced even harder against the wall, as the head of the funnel pushed against his chest, while the tip launched the Warhorse back into the air, against the ceiling. With a scream, the thin tornado, having picked up bits of debris from the ground particles from the air, drilled right through the Warhorse, before spreading him out fantastically around the room. It truly wasn't the effect Ranma was looking for, in fact, he had only hoped to maybe knock his older out. Nonetheless, he wasn't upset about the results.  
  
Ranma slumped, unrelenquishing his steady ki stream, barely able to keep his eyes open. With what he could, he spoke. "I would sooner kill myself, than see all this happen again. I think I understand why that Maku Crystal thing or whatever brought me here. I may not have been supposed to physically defeat you, but... now that I've seen you, I know how to beat you, for real. And Ranma Saotome always wins in the end."  
  
"DAMN YOU!!!!"  
  
Ranma's eyes snapped wide open, as he heard the Warhorse's voice echo throughout the room.  
  
"I HAVE TOO MUCH GOING, TOO MUCH TO BE DEFEATED BY SOME UPSTART YOUNGER PUNK VERSION OF MYSELF!" The ambient aura of the room gathered into a brilliant spector of the Warhorse that hung angrily in the air. "EVEN IF I HAVE TO TAKE YOUR BODY TO DO IT!"  
  
Before the Warhorse could act, a blue wall of energy washed over him, wiping him out completely.  
  
"No, War," Victor Von Doom stated in a strong, defiant tone. Sitting in the crook of his right arm was a five-year old blonde haired boy, holding out his own hand angrily, as it still swirled with blue energy residue. "It is over, you had lost."  
___________________________  
  
The combined might of the remaining X-Men, the survivors of the X-Men Arctic base slaughter, and the surviving Avengers battled against the forces of the Warhorse's empire with a furious pitch that told of their unrelenting zealous to finish it, once and for all. The battle was now on even level, as either side refused to give an inch, suffering grave casualties in return.  
  
it was greater than any conflict they had ever come to, and without saying, both sides knew it would be the final one.  
  
Nabiki staggered outside, hoping to gain her bearings, and see how everyone was doing. She experienced shock and elation at the sight before her. The sight of Ryoga meant the possibility that others were alive. That meant...  
  
With the thought remaining uncompleted, Nabiki quickly drew her weapon, finding herself eager to rejoin the battle that may just be won, yet.  
___________________________  
  
Deathbird was far from happy with the way things were going. It would be much harder to convince many of the terrain sympathizers of the Shi'Ar Empire of her necessity if the battle was to make a turn against the favor of the Warhorse. Decisive action needed to be taken.  
  
"On my mark..." The commander of the Shi'Ar Royal Military began in a steady voice, "I want the area known as New York obliterated."  
  
"But," one of the helmsmen spoke up, "Shouldn't we wait until the outcome? We are in no fear of detection by-"  
  
"THIS IS TOO IMPORTANT FOR STALLING!" Deathbird shouted, "YOU WILL DO AS I SAY, FOR THE GOOD OF THE EMPIRE!" She turned back to the viewscreen with barely restrained fury, "DESTROY THEM!!!"  
  
"I'm afraid that order will have to be belayed," one of the admirals of Deathbird's forces interjected in a calm tone.  
___________________________  
  
"Relax, and let the boy heal you. You can do this, Franklin?" Doom enquired to the young boy in his care.  
  
With a hearty nod, Franklin put his hands upon Ranma's chest, willing him to be all better again. "Whoa," Ranma exclaimed, "That's pretty amazing!"  
  
Franklin Richards looked up at Doom with a puzzled expression, before the former despot translated for him. The young boy's eyes lit up before he replied to Ranma, "You're welcome! Thanks for beating up that bad guy!"  
  
Doom translated, earning a smile from Ranma. The pigtailed martial artist's expression turned serious, "Hey, I can hear the battle outside, how's it going?"  
  
"It is at even pitch, but...  
  
Doom looked to the east, concerned for what he now knew was approaching.  
  
Ranma gritted his teeth, he did his part, but he still felt it wasn't enough. As he stood up, he searched the room, before his eyes fell on something. With a devious smile, Ranma spoke up, "I have an idea..."  
___________________________  
  
Slowly but surely, the rightous fury of the combined X-Men and Avengers began to turn the tide. Victory was becoming assured for the side of good, and with that realization, they began to push harder, stronger...  
  
Until the sun became blocked out by the massive fleet of sentinels flying overhead from the east.  
  
Further to crush their morale and punctuate their impending defeat, from the middle of the building, the Warhorse leapt out, falling backwards in a graceful swandive, and descended to join his troops in battle. The tides of battle shifted faster than the fickle winds, as all watched the Warhorse, in the midst of his freefall, cup his hands together...  
  
"MAKO TAKABISHA!"  
  
The blast broke into the group of the Warhorse's troops, scattering and disorganizing them.  
  
"COME ON! LET'S KICK THEIR BUTTS!!!"  
  
The X-Men realized, intuitively, that the Warhorse was no more.  
  
"Ranma... Ranma beat him?" Ryoga whispered with amazement. That shock turned into a feral grin, as he turned back to his opponents, and ran into them with a newfound fury, that completely caught them in their dumbfoundment at their own leader attacking them.  
  
"Ain't that kid the Warhorse?" Hulk enquired, as Herb flew next to him.  
  
"No, that 'kid' managed to do what none of us could ever accomplish," the princess stated with no little pride, "The Warhorse is no more."  
  
"What? By a little hood?" At that thought, the Hulk roared with laughter, before grabbing the nearest servant of the now deceased Warhorse, which happened to be Caliban, "You hear that? Your own tin god's Judas is dead!" With that, the Hulk threw the mutant into the crowd of opponents.  
  
Even with the Warhorse gone, it still left them with finishing the battle, and even with their newfound morale, the legion of Sentinals would provide a problem.  
  
Well, they were a problem, prior to the massive beam from high above the atmousphere homing in on them, and annialating them before they could even land.  
  
"[X-Men and their allies]" a voice broadcast from whereabouts unknown, but heard over the dins and clatter of battle, "[Do not concern yourselves with the robotic forces above you. Allow the might of the Imperial Shi'Ar forces eliminate their threat, as you do so with the Warhorse and his lackeys]"  
  
Like the fickle winds, the tides of battle shifted, as the soldiers of the deceased Warhorse realized the tactical advantage, as well as the superior morale, lay with the combined forces of the X-Men and Avengers.  
  
Like a flag that raised the spirits of those who fell under it, Ranma inspired those who wished to put an end to the menace of what was once Apocolypse's empire.  
  
With every factor of favor, it was inevitable that the Age of the Warhorse, came to it's conclusion.  
___________________________  
  
The prisoners of war were handled by the Shi'Ar forces, having the resources to do so, as the victors tended their wounds, and their dead.  
  
The losses were heavy, far too heavy a price to pay, but one that yeilded the freedom of the world. Nabiki looked down at Richtor's unblinking eyes, before she knelt, and closed them. "I've found Richtor, Domino?"  
___________________________  
  
The pale white woman with raven hair and a domino eye to match stared somewhat dispassionately at the results of Wolverine and Omega Red's struggle. They were leaned against each other, as if in a struggle to overpower one another, when either still had life within their forms. Wolverine's claws remained inside of his opponent's heart, dripping only sparse droplets of blood, as much of it had already pooled from the body. The stout mutant didn't have much of physical wounds, so it was apparent to Domino that his healing factor could only withstand so much before Omega Red's death aura forced it to succomb.  
  
"I've found Wolverine," Domino replied solumnly over her comm. unit, before turning away.  
___________________________  
  
"Spiderman's still alive, but unapproachable," Princess Herb stated, as she looked down at the feral man with a beast's mind who was hiding in the shadows. Syrn and Sunspot had went to the assistance of Spiderman to deal with Carnage; the outcome left the charred remains of the former general. Even if they were inclined to, there would be no mourning for the creature, as the symbiote long ago had shown it's true colors, and saught to absorb the bodies of its hosts, instead of merely bonding with them. All that weilded the symbiote were dead, long ago.  
  
Spiderman, on the other hand, could be brought out of his bestial mindset, only if he was given time to calm down.  
___________________________  
  
Ranma overlooked the devistation and destruction before him. He had never been to New York, but knew that the sight was a far cry from what must have been a granderous city. "So much... because of me?"  
  
"It wasn't you, Ranma," Ryoga stated with a solumn voice, "It was the Warhorse, the thing that Apocolypse remade you into."  
  
"Yeah," Ranma replied, half-heartedly, "Maybe..."  
  
"Ranma," Ryoga's tone became stern, "Don't go beating yourself up, or do anything stupid, blaming... blaming..." Ryoga began to chuckle, before roaring into laughter.  
  
The pigtailed martial artist turned an incredulous stare towards the man, "What the heck's your problem?"  
  
"I....it-t's....not... your fault... Ranma..." Ryoga managed to get out between guffaws. Ranma realized the irony of Ryoga, of all people, saying this, and soon found himself joining in. Their saddened mirth was cut sharply by a cry.  
  
"SOMEONE! HELP!!! I NEED HELP!"  
  
Both Ryoga and Ranma turned, to find Kasumi, carrying a very limp Akane, who was barely able to keep herself from dragging her own sister down.  
  
Ranma froze, finding himself for the first time getting a clear look at the woman his own fiancee could one day become. That pause did not last long, as he realized the urgency of the situation.  
  
Akane could not hold herself any longer, as she relenquished her hold from around Kasumi's neck, and dropped to the floor, earning a desperate cry from her sister.  
  
"AKANE!" Ranma's shout possibly reverberated from Niagra falls, to the harbor. Almost as if teleporting, he was cradling Akane before she fell backwards, "Akane? Akane!"  
  
The cry had brought Nabiki running, and she didn't stop even after seeing the situation. Pei Ling was also at hand looking solumnly at the scene.  
  
Kasumi and Nabiki crouched by the side of Akane, as Ranma held her aloft on his lap. he could feel his hands slick with her blood from her back, and felt panic almost overwhelming him.  
  
"HEY! SOMEONE GET THAT KID HERE! HE NEEDS TO HELP AKANE!" Ranma shouted out.  
  
Nabiki knew who he was talking about, and found her chest grow hard, "D-Doom took Franklin out of th-the city..."  
  
"SOMEONE HERE HAS TO BE ABLE TO HELP AKANE! SOMEONE!"  
  
"Ran...ma?"  
  
The pigtailed martial artist's pleas were cut off, by the quiet voice of the woman in his arms. Ranma looked down at her, finding his eyes begin to tear, but he refused to allow them to water his vision. The hair on the left side of Akane's face covered it from view, and he carefully moved it away, not even caring of the scar it hid.  
  
"I.. I'm sorry... that I... I..."  
  
"Akane, don't speak," Ranma urged, "Someone's going to help you in a bit... CAN SOMEONE GET THE HELL OVER HERE?!?"  
  
"I... never... no one after... you..." Akane whispered, as her voice grew faint. Very slightly, she turned her head to her sisters, "At... least we were t-toge...ther... one last.. time."  
  
Neither of Akane's sisters could trust themselves to speak, as their bodies were barely containing the sobs that were demanding escape.  
  
"I... guess we won... huh?" Even at the edge of death, her voice held a wryness to it, "That's good..."  
  
With that, Akane's eyes closed completely, as her head slumped back. It was then that the remaining Tendou sisters allowed themselves to cry. Ranma did so also, as he put his forehead against Akane's, as he lay her down.  
  
He remained deathly silent, as he stood up, and turned an emotionless stare towards Ryoga. He walked up to the unflinching man, and socked him with as much force as he could muster.  
  
"YOU! YOU COULD HAVE MADE HER HAPPY!" Ranma accused, "WHY DIDN'T YOU?!?"  
  
Ryoga could not respond, as he felt his own guilt in the situation. At his silence, Ranma readied himself to pounce, before he felt all his muscles lock up.  
  
"That will be enough, boy," Magneto's voice commanded, "Her death is not his fault."  
  
When Magneto no longer felt Ranma resist, he relenquished his magnetic hold over the pigtailed boy. Ranma fell to his knees, with his head bowed, unable to face anything at the moment.  
  
He barely knew Nabiki's hand had laid on his shoulder, as she knelt down by him. "Ranma... I think we should... be able to send you home now..."  
___________________________  
  
The Makraan Crystal apparently felt Ranma's obligation had been fulfilled, closing the portal behind the pigtailed boy, who never even looked back.  
  
The X-Men stood, watching well after the final light of it had flickered out. Doom snorted, before taking Franklin's hand, and turning to leave.  
  
"Where do you think you're going, Victor?" Nabiki asked, still looking towards the spot Ranma had departed.  
  
"I've fulfilled my debt to both Reed Richards and Charles Xavier." Doom replied, wanting to leave it at that. At the mention of 'Charles Savior', Franklin began to tear up. The man had told him to be strong, and never give up hope, even as he gave up his own life to ensure that the young boy would be protected from harm within Onslaught. If he was older, he may have thought of the signifigance in his own misunderstanding of the once leader of the X-Men's sirname.  
  
"You're taking Dr. Richard's son with you?"  
  
"I will raise the boy, as my final respects to my intellectual rival. Do not concern yourself..." Doom found himself wanting to say more, surprised at his own hesitancy, "unless, you choose to have a part, along side myself."  
  
Nabiki didn't miss the implication, "I'm afraid that could never be possible between us... Victor."  
  
"I see," Victor Von Doom replied, "Then there is no more to say, is there?"  
  
"Are we to just let you walk away with such a powerful young man in your custody?" Magneto enquired, sceptically, "I do not have doubt that we will have to contend with you in the future, if we did so."  
  
"Doom is patient, and has his priorities," Victor replied, "Young Franklin will first learn, and I shall be the one who teaches him. You will not hear from me until we are both ready." With that, Doom and Franklin teleported to parts unknown.  
  
"Goodbye, Doom," Nabiki whispered, finally closing her eyes, and bowing her head.  
  
"So, what now?" Havoc enquired, turning to see the rays of the morning sun coloring the skies between the peaks of the Quangxi mountains with golds and pinks and oranges.  
  
"Lilandra offered the Shi'Ar's assistance to rebuild, without the threat of being forced into sovergn rule, unless we choose it," Nabiki replied. "Other than that, we go on."  
  
Silence reigned for moments, as individual X-Men departed for their own business. Eventually, Nabiki gave her leave, "If you'll excuse me, I must go see my daughter..." The once leader of the X-Men, now only finding duties to her own family, found her thoughts on her deceased husband, and idly wondered what the once proud member of the X-Men would think of how far she had come now...  
___________________________  
___________________________  
Epilogue  
  
Over six months since his ordeal in another dimension, and his time lost had been reflected in his own reality. When asked about his departure, Ranma gave the evasive answer of 'impromptu training trip', and refused to say anything more.  
  
At the time, Akane had been very irritated at the answer, but Ranma's overall attitude towards her had changed exponentially. She knew their relationship had grown another step after the Saffron ordeal, but she didn't realize that it had become so much. She looked up towards Ranma from her seat on the porch steps from staring at the bonfire in the back yard, and studied his emotionless face, as he read the note in his hand.  
  
Ranma didn't know the name, but felt a sense of forboding as he read the note. It was a challenge letter. A challenge sent to him by someone named...  
  
"En Saba Nur?" Nabiki enquired, reading over Ranma's shoulder. The pigtailed boy jolted, as he was shocked that the girl was able to sneak up on him. the middle Tendou sister paused in consideration, "Sounds like it's Middle Eastern, or something."  
  
Ranma shrugged, while he looked at the letter. It gave him a feeling of uneasiness that he could not get rid of. The letter was written by hand in elloquent caligraphy. It was most assuradly a serious challenge.  
  
"Actually, it's Egyptian," Kasumi interjected, coming into the yard with hot tea to help combat the slight chill of the Fall air.  
  
Nabiki tilted her head, "Well, I guess you would know, what with your studies in archeology during school."  
  
"An Egyptian martial artist?" Akane enquired, "Sounds pretty exotic."  
  
Ranma thought back, back to six months ago, to a battle against an unbeatable foe. He could feel phantom pains from when he had been knocked through a wall, and into a large metal object...  
  
An Egyptian sarcophagus.  
  
"Huh? Ranma?" Nabiki enquiry drew the attention of the other two girls. She had noted his face turning more solumn, laced with a slight touch of sadness; sadness that was only the tip of the iceburg for what he truly felt. Schooling his expression back to neutral, Ranma calmly, and slowly, tore the letter to shreds.  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, BOY?" Genma shouted, suddenly in his son's face, "ARE YOU REFUSING A CHALLENGE?"  
  
Without turning around, Ranma knew the Tendou Patriarch was standing on the other side of him, "A practitioner of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts can never refuse a challenge, no matter what!"  
  
Ranma threw them a glare that quickly cowered them. If he could see it himself, he would have greatly feared, as it was the same one the Warhorse had given him during his defiance.  
  
Without saying a word, Ranma tossed the shreds into the fire, and walked back into the house. Akane quickly caught up with him, surprised at his actions. "Ranma? Why?"  
  
The question was simple, but the answer was far more complicated to explain. "I've already won," Ranma replied putting his left hand onto the one Akane rested on his right shoulder.  
  
And thus, the Warhorse suffered his complete defeat.  
  
Fin. 


End file.
